Gartered Trogon

Overview

The gartered violaceous trogon, also known as the northern violaceous trogon (Trogon caligatus), is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is a medium-sized trogon found across parts of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, where it inhabits both forested and semi-open landscapes.

Identification

• Males display a violet-blue head, neck, and upper breast, contrasting with a bright yellow lower breast and belly separated by a narrow white band, while the upperparts are metallic green.
• The female appears duller, with a gray head, face, and upper breast, and an incomplete pale yellow eyering.
• The bird measures 23 to 25 cm in length and weighs between 38 and 57 g.
• Its song consists of a long series of rapid, hollow, downslurred notes described as "kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu".

Habitat

The gartered trogon is generally found in semi-open landscapes such as forest edges, clearings, gallery forest, and shaded coffee and cacao plantations, though in Mexico it also inhabits denser evergreen forests. Its range spans the Caribbean slope of central Mexico through Central America into northern South America, reaching elevations as high as 1,400 m.

Diet

This species forages by hovering to pick fruit and invertebrates from vegetation, sometimes joining mixed-species foraging flocks. Its diet contains a higher proportion of fruit than that of most other trogons, alongside many types of insects and other invertebrates.

Did you know?

The bird is named for the narrow white band that separates its upper breast from its bright yellow lower breast, resembling a garter.