White-tailed Trogon
Trogon chionurus
This yellow-bellied trogon is fairly common from Panama to western Ecuador. Males have a dark head and breast with deep indigo iridescence, an iridescent turquoise or purplish back, and a plain white undertail. Females are grayer on the head and breast with a barred undertail that has large white tips on the tail feathers. Note the pale blue eyering. Compare with Gartered Trogon, which has a yellow eyering and different undertail pattern (barred with white tips on males, more black on females). Found singly or in pairs in forests, edges, and gardens up to around 1,000 m. Listen for accelerating series of “pow” notes and purring calls.
Identification
This relatively large trogon is 28 to 30 centimetres (11 to 12 in) long. As most trogons, it is strongly sexually dimorphic. In the male the head and upper breast are dark blue (appears blackish in poor light), and the back is green, becoming bluer on the rump. The lower underparts are orange-yellow. The wings are black, vermiculated with white. The undertail is almost entirely white with only a very narrow black base to each feather. The complete eye-ring is pale bluish. The female white-tailed trogon resembles the male, but has a grey back, head and breast, and rather indistinct black-and-white barring mainly to the inner webs of each tail feather (less on outer webs).<p>For comparison, the similar but smaller gartered trogon (T. caligatus) has a yellow (male) or incomplete white eye-ring (female), and the male also has bared to the undertail.<p>There is no overlap in the distribution of the white-tailed and green-backed trogons, but the two can be separated by the undertail pattern: Unlike the white-tailed trogon, the male green-backed trogon has a broad black base to each feather, and the female has relatively distinct black-and-white barring mainly to the outer webs of each feather. The male white-tailed trogon also has a bluer rump than the green-backed trogon.<p>The song of the white-tailed trogon consists of 15-20 very fast cow notes.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Trogon chionurus
- Authority
- Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1871
- Order
- Trogoniformes
- Family
- Trogonidae
- Genus
- Trogon
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
They typically perch upright and motionless. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. White-tailed trogons feed mainly on small fruit, supplemented by arthropods – slightly more so in the dry season when fruit is scarce.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Streak-necked Flycatcher
Mionectes striaticollis
Small flycatcher, fairly common in Andean foothills and subtropical zone from Colombia to Bolivia. Olive above with yellower belly and slaty gray head. Throat and breast are distinctively streaky, unlike most other small flycatchers. Also note pale base of lower mandible. Quite similar to Olive-striped Flycatcher but usually found at higher elevations; also note grayer head. Typically found singly in low to middle levels of cloud forest or edges, from 1,200–2,700 m, often accompanying a mixed-species flock. Can also be found at fruiting trees.
Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
Bucorvus abyssinicus
A huge ground-dwelling hornbill. Males have a mix of blue and red bare facial skin, while females have entirely blue facial skin. In flight, a large white patch is revealed in the wings. Found in savanna, grassland, and agricultural habitats, usually in pairs or small groups, walking on the ground. Breeds and roosts in trees. Similar to Southern Ground-Hornbill, but there is little overlap in range, and Abyssinian is easily separated by the blue facial skin. The call is a series of deep “boop” notes.
Eastern Cattle-Egret
Ardea coromanda
Small, compact white heron with relatively short yellow bill. More often seen in dry habitats than other egrets, but also frequent in rice paddies and shallow wetlands. In the breeding season, look for bright orange head and breast, as well as a brighter bill. Leg color varies from reddish or yellow during the breeding season to black during the nonbreeding season. Juveniles have dark bill. Always note relatively short, thick neck and short legs compared with other egrets. Often gathers in flocks, frequently following large animals and field machinery.
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