- Trogon melanocephalus
Identification
- Black head, upperparts and chest
- Yellow underparts
- Black and white barred tail
- Black eye with bluish-white eye ring is diagnostic
- Grey bill, legs and feet
Distribution
Central America: found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- T. m. melanocephalus:
- Gulf-Caribbean slope of eastern Mexico to north-eastern Costa Rica
- T. m. illaetabilis:
- Western Costa Rica
Habitat
Rainforests and dry tropical woodland; fields with scattered trees.
Behaviour
A calm, confiding bird that often allows close approach. Will remain perched almost motionless on a limb at mid-level in the forest for many minutes at a time, slowly looking around. When food is found, it flies very quickly to capture it and return to a perch.
Diet
The diet includes caterpillars.
Vocalizations
Recording by NJLarsen, Vigia Chico Rd, Quintana Roo, Mexico 06 May 2012. Bird is subspecies melanocephalus. The sound is a duet by two (or more?) birds. Chirps from other species are also heard.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Avibase
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-headed Trogon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-headed_Trogon
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
