- Trogon viridis
Includes Amazonian White-tailed Trogon
Identification
25–28 cm; a large trogon
- Bluish-black head and breast
- Yellow under parts
- Pale blue orbital ring
- Blue bill
Similar Species
Photo © by nigel lallsingh
Point gorge Chaguaramas, Trinidad, July 2009
They can easily can be confused with the Amazonian Trogon and the Surucua Trogon. The complete bluish-white eye-ring and lack of barring to the undertail are often useful features for this species.
Distribution
Found throughout humid forested areas of tropical South America, incl. Amazon and Atlantic forest.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized:
- T. v. viridis from Colombia east of the Andes to northern Bolivia and Brazil, also on Trinidad
- T. v. melanopterus in tropical southeast Brazil (Bahia to São Paulo)
Has been considered conspecific with White-tailed Trogon in the past.
Habitat
Humid forest and woodland.
Behaviour
Although a colourful bird, it can easily be overlooked because of its habit of sitting quietly for long periods.
Diet
Frugivorous, which includes fruit and berries. They will also eat beetles and grasshoppers etc.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2014)
- SACC proposal to split White-tailed Trogon
Separating the White-tailed from the Surucua Trogon (ssp. aurantius)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Green-backed Trogon. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Green-backed_Trogon
