Collared Trogon

Overview

The collared trogon (Trogon collaris) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found across Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, with ten recognised subspecies.

Identification

• Both sexes possess a black face and throat. The male features bright metallic green plumage on the crown, back, and breast, separated by a white band from a bright red belly, while the female is olive brown with a duller red belly. They measure between 25 and 29 cm in length and weigh approximately 41 to 64 g. The male's folded wings show black and white vermiculation, whereas the female's closed wings are brown with black vermiculation. Songs vary geographically, with Mexican and Central American populations producing plaintive 'kyow'-kyow calls, and South American populations singing mellow whistled notes like 'whi'whi whew-whew-whew.'

Habitat

In South America, the collared trogon inhabits humid lowland evergreen forests, both primary and well-established secondary types. In Mexico and Central America, it also occupies humid montane, semideciduous, and pine-evergreen forests. It is found at elevations up to 2,400 m in Mexico and 2,300 m in Costa Rica, but typically below 1,300 m in the Andes of Ecuador and Peru.

Diet

The collared trogon feeds on small fruits such as berries and invertebrates including caterpillars, crickets, cicadas, beetles, and phasmids. It often accompanies the edges of mixed-species foraging flocks but does not mix with the other members.

Did you know?

The collared trogon nests in cavities in decaying wood or arboreal termite nests, which are often so shallow that much of the bird is visible.