White-tailed Trogon

Overview

The white-tailed trogon is a species of bird in the trogon family found in tropical humid forests of the Chocó region. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Trogon viridis but is now recognised as a distinct species, leaving T. viridis as the green-backed trogon.

Identification

• 28 to 30 centimetres long with a relatively large body and a broad bill.
• Males have a dark blue head and upper breast that appears blackish in poor light, a green back that becomes bluer on the rump, and orange-yellow lower underparts.
• Wings are black with white vermiculations, and the undertail is almost entirely white with only a narrow black base to each feather.
• Females resemble males but have a grey back, head, and breast, with indistinct black-and-white barring on the inner webs of the tail feathers.
• Song consists of 15–20 very fast cow notes.

Habitat

Found in tropical humid forests of the Chocó, ranging from Panama through western Colombia to western Ecuador. The species does not overlap in distribution with the green-backed trogon.

Diet

Feeds mainly on small fruit, supplemented by arthropods, particularly in the dry season when fruit is scarce. They possess broad bills and weak legs that reflect their arboreal habits and diet.

Did you know?

The species was formerly considered a subspecies of Trogon viridis, which is widespread in South America east of the Andes, but has since been split into its own species, leaving T. viridis as the green-backed trogon. This taxonomic split also resulted in the name 'white-tailed trogon' being reserved exclusively for T. chionurus.