Trogon chionurus
The White-tailed Trogon (Trogon chionurus) is a strikingly beautiful neotropical bird, instantly recognizable by its iridescent plumage and distinctive undertail. Males boast a dazzling glossy green head, back, and upper breast, transitioning sharply to a vibrant scarlet-red belly, all framed by a bright yellow bill and a conspicuous blue orbital ring. Its defining feature, crucial for identification, is the pristine white undertail, setting it apart from closely related species. Females, whi...
Found primarily in humid lowland and foothill tropical and subtropical forests, forest edges, and mature secondary growth. It typically inhabits elevations from sea level up to 1,200 meters (3,900 feet), occasionally ranging higher.
Primarily insectivorous and frugivorous, consuming a wide variety of large insects such as mantids, cicadas, and beetles, alongside various fruits, particularly berries and arillate seeds. Foraging involves short, quick flights from a perch to snatch prey.
White-tailed Trogons are diurnal birds, known for their remarkably sedentary nature; they often perch upright and motionless for long intervals, making them challenging to locate despite their bright plumage. Their foraging strategy involves 'sallying,' where they burst from a perch to snatch ins...
The White-tailed Trogon is a resident species distributed across a significant portion of northern South America and adjacent Central America. Its breeding range extends from eastern Panama, particularly within the Darién province, eastward across western and northern Colombia, west-central and w...
Least Concern
- White-tailed Trogons possess heterodactyl feet, a unique toe arrangement with two toes pointing forward and two backward, an adaptation shared only by a few bird orders. - They are capable of excavating their nests directly into active arboreal termite nests, seemingly impervious to the termite...