Trogon (family Trogonidae)

BirdTropicalForest

Overview

Trogons (family Trogonidae) are among the most beautiful birds of the world's tropical forests — compact, upright birds with soft, often iridescent plumage in brilliant greens, blues, reds, oranges, and yellows. They are found in the American tropics, Africa, and Asia, and the family includes the legendary quetzals of Central America, whose males trail spectacularly long tail plumes. With their stout bodies, short necks, and broad tails, trogons have a distinctive, almost ornamental look.

Despite their dazzling colours, trogons are surprisingly easy to overlook: they often perch quietly and motionless for long periods, and they have a curious foot in which the toe arrangement differs from nearly all other birds.

Note: “trogon” covers a family of species; details here describe the group broadly. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Trogons live in forests across the tropics — the greatest variety in the American tropics, with others in sub-Saharan Africa and in South and Southeast Asia. Most inhabit humid lowland and montane forest, perching in the mid- and upper levels among the foliage, though some occur in drier woodland. They are strongly tied to forest cover.

Diet

Trogons feed mainly on fruit and insects, with the balance varying by species — some take more fruit, others more insects and small invertebrates, and a few will take small lizards. They are known for plucking food on the wing: a trogon often sits still, then sallies out to snatch a fruit or an insect in mid-air or from foliage before returning to its perch.

Behavior

Trogons are generally quiet, still birds that perch upright and motionless, scanning their surroundings, which — together with their habit of sitting with their backs to an observer — makes the brilliant colours surprisingly easy to miss. They have a unique foot structure called heterodactyly, in which the first and second toes point backward (unlike any other birds), an arrangement suited to clinging to perches. Trogons nest in cavities, excavating or enlarging holes in rotten wood, tree trunks, or even termite and wasp nests, where they raise their young. Males are usually the more vividly coloured sex, and many trogons give simple, repeated hooting or churring calls.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Trogons are treasured by birdwatchers for their beauty, and the resplendent quetzal in particular holds deep cultural significance in Central America and is a major draw for ecotourism. Because they depend on forest — and often on dead trees for nest holes — habitat loss is the main threat, and some species, including certain quetzals, are of conservation concern, while many trogons remain reasonably common. Conserving forest with old and dead trees helps them. Consult the IUCN Red List for species-specific status.

More photos of the trogon