Mountain Trogon (Trogon mexicanus)

Mountain Trogon

[order] TROGONIFORMES | [family] Trogonidae | [latin] Trogon mexicanus | [authority] Swainson, 1827 | [UK] Mountain Trogon | [FR] Trogon montagnard | [DE] Bronzetrogon | [ES] Trogon Mexicano, Coa Montanes (HN) | [NL] Mexicaanse Trogon

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

The Neotropical Trogoninae, containing four genera, Trogon, Priotelus, Pharomachrus and Eupilotis. The two Caribbean species of Priotelus were formerly different ones (Temnotrogon on Hispaniola), and are extremely ancient. The two quetzal genera, Pharomachrus and Eupilotis are possibly derived from the final and most numerous genus of trogons in the Neotropics, Trogon. A 2008 study of the genetics of Trogon suggested the genus originated in Central America and radiated into South America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama (as part of the Great American Interchange), thus making trogons relatively recent arrivals in South America. Within the genus Trogon, a division of species that coincides with female plumage type is well supported. Females with brown breasts and heads characterize one clade (including T. rufus), whereas females in the other clade (including T. comptus) have gray breasts and heads. Females of T. rufus and T. mexicanus both have brown heads. Male plumage does not appear to be informative at this level; species with red or yellow underparts are interspersed in both clades. They have large eyes, stout hooked bills, short wings, and long, squared-off, strongly graduated tails; black and white tail-feather markings form distinctive patterns on the underside. Males have richly colored metallic plumage, metallic on the upperparts.[1] Although many have brightly coloured bare eye-rings, they lack the colorful patches of bare facial skin in their African counterparts, Apaloderma.[2] Females and young are duller and sometimes hard to identify in the field

Physical charateristics

Male with yellow bill, orange-red eye ring. Face and throat black, head, upper breast and upperparts green. Has a white breastband. Red belly, uppertail green, undertail barred Broadly black and white. Female upper mandible darker, face and throat grey, Rest mostly green with a white breastband and red belly. Undertail mostly black with smaller outer bars black-white

oak forest,
oak-pine forest, and cloud forest

Listen to the sound of Mountain Trogon

[audio:https://planetofbirds.com/MASTER/TROGONIFORMES/Trogonidae/sounds/Mountain Trogon.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto


wingspan min.: 0 cm wingspan max.: 0 cm
size min.: 29 cm size max.: 31 cm
incubation min.: 18 days incubation max.: 19 days
fledging min.: 15 days fledging max.: 16 days
broods: 0   eggs min.: 2  
      eggs max.: 3  

Range

Middle America : Mexico to Honduras

Habitat

Its natural habitat is subtropical and tropical moist montane forests. It prefers pine-evergreen and pine-oak woodland between 1,200 and 3,500 meters above sea level

Reproduction

Builds nest in cavity of rotten stump, very low down, even to 50cm. Clutch size is 2-3 eggs which are incubated for about 19 days. Young fledge after 15-16 days.

Feeding habits

Probably mainly insects

Video Mountain Trogon

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb0tRyDyfC4

copyright: Paul Clarke


Conservation

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Mountain Trogon status Least Concern

Migration

Sedentary, but may make seasonal movements in the hill regions.

Distribution map

Mountain Trogon distribution range map

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