Birds of the World

    TROGONIFORMES: Trogonidae (Trogons)  
Genus: Trogon (20 species)

Trogons are slender colorful birds that inhabit tropical forests worldwide. Sizes rance from 23 to 33 cm.. American Trogons comsume both fruits and insects, and consume both by taking the food item in flight. Nests are made in holes in rotting wood, termite or wasp nests.


Baird's Trogon
Baird's Trogon (Trogon bairdii) Male Near Threatened
Range: MA: Costa Rica and Panama
Mastatal, Puriscal, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.

Baird's Trogon
Baird's Trogon (Trogon bairdii) Female Near Threatened
Range: MA: Costa Rica and Panama
Mastatal, Puriscal, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.


Gartered Trogon
Gartered Trogon (Trogon caligatus) Male
Range: MA, SA: e Mexico to nw SA
ProAves Blue-billed Curassow Reserve, Puerto Pinzon, Boyaca, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Gartered Trogon
Gartered Trogon (Trogon caligatus sallaei) Male
Range: MA, SA: e Mexico to nw SA
Rio Danta, Guapiles, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.

Gartered Trogon
Gartered Trogon (Trogon caligatus) Female
Range: MA, SA: e Mexico to nw SA
Zafra Reserva Natural, Antioquia, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

A small trogon. Note broken (or thin at top/bottom) eye-ring on female, and yellow eye-ring on male.
From back with broken eye-ring.

White-tailed Trogon
White-tailed Trogon (Trogon chionurus) Male
Range: MA, SA: Panama to w Ecuador
Bahia Solano, Choco, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

White-tailed Trogon
White-tailed Trogon (Trogon chionurus) Female
Range: MA, SA: Panama to w Ecuador
ProAves Blue-billed Curassow Reserve, Puerto Pinzon, Boyaca, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Citreoline Trogon
Citreoline Trogon (Trogon citreolus sumichrasti)
Range: MA: Mexico
Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico  
   
Photograph by Nigel Voaden   © All Rights Reserved.

Citreoline Trogon
Citreoline Trogon (Trogon citreolus)
Range: MA: Mexico
Santa Cruz Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico  
   
Photograph by Matt Grube   © All Rights Reserved.


Lattice-tailed Trogon
Lattice-tailed Trogon (Trogon clathratus) Male
Range: MA: Costa Rica and Panama
PN Braulio Carrillo, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.


Collared Trogon
Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris)
Range: MA, SA: e Mexico through Amazonia and se Brazil
Costa Rica
  The Central American Orange-bellied Trogon, now considered the same species as the red-bellied Collared Trogon.
   
Photograph by Raymond J. Barlow   © All Rights Reserved.

Collared Trogon
Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris collaris) Male
Range: MA, SA: e Mexico through Amazonia and se Brazil
Reserva Natural La Isla Escondida, Orito, Putumayo, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Collared Trogon
Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris) Female
Range: MA, SA: e Mexico through Amazonia and se Brazil
Minga Ecolodge, Cali, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Generally found below 1800 m.
A Andean male.
An unusual orange-bellied individual reminiscent of the Orange-bellied Trogon in Costa Rica that was lumped with the Collared Trogon.


Choco Trogon
Choco Trogon (Trogon comptus) Male
Range: SA: w Colombia and nw Ecuador
Anchicaya, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Choco Trogon
Choco Trogon (Trogon comptus) Female
Range: SA: w Colombia and nw Ecuador
Farallones National Park, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Also called Blue-tailed Trogon. Note white eye, and blue back of tail.
From back.

Blue-crowned Trogon
Blue-crowned Trogon (Trogon curucui behni) Male
Range: SA: c, e
Botanical Gardens, Santa Cruz, Bolivia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Blue-crowned Trogon
Blue-crowned Trogon (Trogon curucui) Male
Range: SA: c, e
Chapada dos Guimarães, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Rodrigo Conte   © All Rights Reserved.

Blue-crowned Trogon
Blue-crowned Trogon (Trogon curucui) Female
Range: SA: c, e
Botanical Gardens, Santa Cruz, Bolivia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Elegant Trogon
Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans)
Range: NA, MA: sw USA to Costa Rica
USA  
   
Photograph by Dominic Sherony     Copyright and usage info

The northernmost Trogon

Slaty-tailed Trogon
Slaty-tailed Trogon (Trogon massena) Male
Range: MA, SA: se Mexico to ne Ecuador
Darien, Panama  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Slaty-tailed Trogon
Slaty-tailed Trogon (Trogon massena hoffmanni) Female
Range: MA, SA: se Mexico to ne Ecuador
Soberania National Park, Panama
  Female is overall greyish, but has a red belly like the male.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Black-headed Trogon
Black-headed Trogon (Trogon melanocephalus)
Range: MA: se Mexico to n Costa Rica
Tarcoles, Puntarenas, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.

Black-headed Trogon
Black-headed Trogon (Trogon melanocephalus)
Range: MA: se Mexico to n Costa Rica
Bajamar, Puntarenas, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.


Black-tailed Trogon
Black-tailed Trogon (Trogon melanurus) Male
Range: MA, SA: Panama to Venezuela and Amazonia
Puerto Nariño, Amazonas, Colombia
  The back is reflective dark blue/green, and back of tail is blue.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Black-tailed Trogon
Black-tailed Trogon (Trogon melanurus melanurus) Female
Range: MA, SA: Panama to Venezuela and Amazonia
Manaus, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

A large trogon generally seen higher in the canopy than other trogon species.
Male from back.

Ecuadorian Trogon
Ecuadorian Trogon (Trogon mesurus) Male
Range: SA: w Ecuador and nw Peru
south, Ecuador  
   
Photograph by Francesco Veronesi     Copyright and usage info

Most closely related to Choco Trogon further north, and then the Black-tailed Trogon. Note white eye.

Mountain Trogon
Mountain Trogon (Trogon mexicanus) Male
Range: MA: Mexico to Honduras
Barranca Rancho Liebre, Sinaloa, Mexico  
   
Photograph by Nigel Voaden   © All Rights Reserved.



Masked Trogon
Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus temperatus) Male
Range: SA: Colombia to Peru and sc Venezuela
San Isidro Lodge, Ecuador  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Masked Trogon
Masked Trogon (Trogon personatus temperatus) Female
Range: SA: Colombia to Peru and sc Venezuela
Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Found at over 1800m in most of the Andes. Compare to Collared Trogon found at lower altitudes; on male note more finely barred tail with bigger white patches.
Mating.
Male from front.


Amazonian Trogon
Amazonian Trogon (Trogon ramonianus) Male
Range: SA: Amazonia
Reserva Natural Escondite, Putumayo, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Amazonian Trogon
Amazonian Trogon (Trogon ramonianus ramonianus) Female
Range: SA: Amazonia
Reserva Natural Escondite, Putumayo, Colombia
  Note broken eye-ring.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

A smaller trogon, and closely related to the Gartered Trogon. Note, like Gartered, the male has yellow eye-ring, and female has eye-ring broken at the top and/or bottom.
Male from back.

Black-throated Trogon
Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus) Male
Range: MA, SA: Honduras to Ecuador, Amazonia and se
Tirimbina, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Black-throated Trogon
Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus tenellus) Female
Range: MA, SA: Honduras to Ecuador, Amazonia and se
Tirimbina, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Black-throated Trogon
Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus tenellus) Female
Range: MA, SA: Honduras to Ecuador, Amazonia and se
Rio Claro Canyon Reserve, Colombia
  Female Colombian Black-throated Trogons may have a yellow eye-ring. Otherwise it is light blue.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Black-throated Trogon
Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus) Female
Range: MA, SA: Honduras to Ecuador, Amazonia and se
Mutatá, Antioquia, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes called the Rufous Trogon because the female has head, back and back of tail are rufous. Male has green back, unlike other trogons with yellow.
An interesting bird apparently changing colors.

Surucua Trogon
Surucua Trogon (Trogon surrucura aurantius) Male
Range: SA: se
REGUA, Cachoeiras de Macacu, RJ, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Surucua Trogon
Surucua Trogon (Trogon surrucura aurantius) Male
Range: SA: se
Nova Friburgo, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Surucua Trogon
Surucua Trogon (Trogon surrucura surrucura) Female
Range: SA: se
San Martin Resort Gardens, Iguazu, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Bruno Conjeaud   © All Rights Reserved.

Two subspecies: birds further north are more orange, while southern birds are more red. Males have a white tail, while females are grey with a black and white tail. The orange race male is similar to the Green-backed Trogon also present but rare in the Atlantic rainforest, but yellow eye ring seems to be a sure way to identify, as is more orange colored breast. Female has a different tail pattern.

Guianan Trogon
Guianan Trogon (Trogon violaceus) Male
Range: SA: s Venezuela, n Brazil, the Guianas and Trinidad
Manaus, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Guianan Trogon
Guianan Trogon (Trogon violaceus) Female
Range: SA: s Venezuela, n Brazil, the Guianas and Trinidad
Manaus, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

A small trogon similar to Gartered Trogon and Amazonian Trogon. Male has yellow eye-ring and female has blue-grey eye-ring broken at the top and bottom.

Green-backed Trogon
Green-backed Trogon (Trogon viridis) Male
Range: SA: Trinidad, Amazonia and se Brazil
 
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Green-backed Trogon
Green-backed Trogon (Trogon viridis) Female
Range: SA: Trinidad, Amazonia and se Brazil
Puerto Nariño, Amazonas, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Generally the most common trogon in its range.
Male from front.
Additional photo.


© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
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