Atlantic Black-throated Trogon
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Quick Facts
- Scientific Name: Trogon rufus
- Spanish Name: Trogón barbinegro
- Family: Trogonidae
- Known Nicknames: Atlantic Black-throated Trogon, Rufous Trogon
- Average Length: 23–28 cm / 9–11 in
- Average Weight: 54–70 g / 1.9–2.5 oz
- Wingspan: 30–35 cm / 12–14 in
- Key Feature: Black throat and chest contrasting with bright yellow belly and metallic green upperparts (male)
- Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore and Insectivore
- Range: Eastern Brazil (Bahia to São Paulo) and northeastern Argentina
- Habitat: Humid lowland and montane Atlantic Forest
- Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
- Nesting/Breeding: Tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes
- Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
- Population Trend: Decreasing
The Atlantic Black-throated Trogon (*Trogon rufus*) is a striking, elusive bird of South America’s lowland rainforests, renowned for its vivid, parrot-like plumage and distinctive perching posture. Males boast a glossy green back and chest, a brilliant yellow belly, and a jet-black throat and face, while females are more subdued with a brown head, reddish-brown back, and a paler yellow underside. A unique characteristic is its heterodactyl feet—with two toes pointing forward and two backward—which grant it an expert grip for clinging to branches as it sallies out to snatch insects and fruit. Its soft, resonant call, often described as a descending series of *“cu-cu-cu”* notes, adds a haunting soundtrack to the forest understory.
Fun Facts
Despite its name, the Atlantic Black-throated Trogon is a dedicated cavity nester that often repurposes abandoned termite mounds or wasp nests, which it hollows out into a perfect chamber. It has a unique, lazy flight style, flapping and then gliding in long, undulating waves, making it look like it’s bouncing through the forest. A quirky behavior is its “tail-cocking” display: when perched, it will slowly raise and lower its long, square-tipped tail, as if signaling to other birds. Its feet are heterodactyl, with the first and second toes pointing backward—a rare arrangement in birds that helps it grip branches tightly while scanning for fruit or large insects.
Habitats & Distribution
The Atlantic Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus) primarily inhabits the humid lowland and foothill forests of the Atlantic Forest biome in eastern Brazil, extending from the state of Bahia south to Santa Catarina and northeastern Argentina. Its distribution is largely restricted to the dense, mature primary and secondary forests of this region, where it favors the dark, shaded understory and mid-canopy layers, often near streams or clearings. It is also found locally in gallery forests within the Cerrado savanna and in well-forested areas of the interior, but it avoids open or fragmented habitats, relying on continuous forest cover for foraging and nesting in tree cavities or termite nests.
Behaviours & Reproduction
The Atlantic Black-throated Trogon is generally solitary or found in pairs, with a social structure centered on a monogamous bond during the breeding season. Mating involves the male performing a display flight and offering food to the female, a courtship feeding ritual that strengthens the pair bond. They are cavity nesters, uniquely excavating nests in decaying trees or arboreal termite mounds using their beaks, a strategy that provides protection from predators and harsh weather. The female lays 2-3 white eggs, and both parents share incubation duties for about 17-19 days, with the male often incubating during the day and the female at night. After hatching, both parents feed the chicks regurgitated fruit and insects. A notable reproductive strategy is the use of existing cavities, which reduces energy expenditure on nest construction, and the lack of nest lining, relying instead on the natural substrate for insulation.
Diet
The Atlantic Black-throated Trogon is primarily a frugivore, with its diet heavily dominated by a wide variety of small, soft fruits, particularly those from the families Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae, which it plucks while hovering or sallying from a perch. Interestingly, it is also a skilled insectivore, supplementing its fruit intake with a significant number of large arthropods, including caterpillars, katydids, stick insects, and beetles, which it often captures in mid-air with swift, acrobatic flights. A unique dietary behavior is its tendency to swallow fruits whole and later regurgitate the seeds intact, making it an important seed disperser for its forest ecosystem. Additionally, unlike many birds that rely on grit to grind food, the trogon’s stomach is adapted to digest fruit pulp efficiently without needing stones.
Colors
The male Atlantic Black-throated Trogon has a striking emerald green back, head, and upper breast, sharply contrasting with a black throat and face mask, a bright yellow belly, and a white band across the chest. The female is duller, with olive-brown upperparts, a paler yellow belly, and a white eye ring. Both sexes have a long, square-tipped tail with black and white barring underneath, and their mottled brown and green plumage provides effective camouflage in the dappled forest understory.
Distribution Map
Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.
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Featured places
- Serra Bonita
- Macaé de Cima
- Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Estação Veracel
- Sítio Folha Seca
- Legado das Águas – Reserva Votorantim
- Trilha dos Tucanos Day 2 PM
- Trilha Dos Tucanos Arrival Day PM 1
- Late Afternoon Forest Walk & First Bird Photography
- Exploring Forest Trails in Search of Atlantic Forest Endemics
- Final Morning Birding Before Departure
- Afternoon Birding in Parque Nacional do Itatiaia
- Full-day birding in Iguazú National Park (Argentina side)
- Intervales Forest Trail Morning
- Intervales Carmo Road Birding
- Night walk for owls and nightjars
- Intervales morning birding
- Parque Nacional do Itatiaia
- Trilha dos Tucanos
Tours where this species is featured
