Black-tailed Trogon

Overview

The black-tailed trogon (Trogon melanurus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, native to Panama and northern South America. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, with a generally stable and common population across its extensive range.

Identification

• Size ranges from 28 to 30 cm in length, weighing between 52 and 122 g.
• Males display a blackish face and throat with an orange-red eye ring, green upperparts, a white breast band, and a red belly.
• Females are greyish where males are green, feature a slaty maxilla, and have white arcs instead of an orange-red eye ring.
• The song is described as a series of up to 46 'kwo' notes or a bubbly purring trill.

Habitat

This species inhabits diverse landscapes including humid lowland and foothill forests in Panama, and various forest types in Amazonia such as transitional, swamp, gallery, and terra firme forests. Its range spans Panama, northern Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and parts of South America including Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Diet

The black-tailed trogon consumes a wide variety of insects, fruits, and occasionally small amphibians and reptiles. It forages both in the canopy, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks, and at lower levels in the forest.

Did you know?

The species nests in cavities within arboreal termitaria and possibly in decayed trees, laying a clutch of two or three eggs.