White-tailed Trogon

Quick Facts

  • Scientific Name: Trogon chionurus
  • Spanish Name: Trogón coliblanco
  • Family: Trogonidae
  • Known Nicknames: White-tailed Trogon
  • Average Length: 28–30 cm / 11–12 in
  • Average Weight: 70–100 g / 2.5–3.5 oz
  • Wingspan: N/A
  • Key Feature: White undertail with black barring, green upperparts, and red belly
  • Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore, also Insectivore
  • Range: Chocó region from eastern Panama through western Colombia to northwestern Ecuador
  • Habitat: Lowland and foothill tropical rainforest, forest edges, and mature secondary growth
  • Social Structure: Solitary or in pairs
  • Nesting/Breeding: Tree cavities or abandoned arboreal termite nests
  • Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)
  • Population Trend: Stable

The White-tailed Trogon (*Trogon chionurus*) is a dazzling bird of the Neotropical rainforest, distinguished by its striking contrast of colors and a unique physical trait: it is one of the few trogons with a completely **white tail** (both upper and under surfaces), which flashes conspicuously during flight. Males boast a brilliant emerald-green head, chest, and back, set against a vivid red belly and a white undertail, while females are slightly duller with a gray breast and brownish back. Like all trogons, it has a stout, hooked bill and a **heterodactyl foot** arrangement (two toes forward, two back), which helps it perch adeptly while sallying out to catch insects or pluck small fruits. Its soft, repetitive call—often described as a descending series of *cow-cow-cow* notes—echoes through the canopy, making it a sought-after sight for birdwatchers in lowland forests from Panama to western Ecuador.

Fun Facts

The white-tailed trogon is a master of stillness, often perching motionless for long periods before suddenly sallying out to snatch fruit or insects mid-air, a behavior that makes it appear almost robotic. Its feet are uniquely anisodactyl, with two toes pointing forward and two backward, a rare adaptation that gives it an exceptional grip for clinging to vertical tree trunks while plucking berries. Males and females perform a quirky "tail-wagging" display during courtship, flicking their long, squared tails up and down in a synchronized dance. Despite its vivid plumage, the bird is notoriously difficult to spot because its bright yellow belly and white undertail are often hidden when it faces away, blending into the dappled canopy light.

Habitats & Distribution

The White-tailed Trogon inhabits humid lowland and foothill forests, primarily within mature tropical rainforests and well-developed secondary growth. It is most common in the canopy and subcanopy layers, where it perches quietly while foraging for insects and fruit. Its geographical range extends from eastern Panama through the Pacific and Caribbean slopes of Colombia and Ecuador, reaching into northwestern Peru. This distribution is largely continuous along the Chocó-Darién region, but it does not occur in the Amazon basin, being replaced there by the closely related Amazonian White-tailed Trogon.

Behaviours & Reproduction

White-tailed Trogons are generally solitary or found in pairs, with a monogamous breeding system. Courtship involves the male offering food items, such as insects or fruit, to the female, a behavior that strengthens the pair bond and may assess male provisioning ability. They are cavity nesters, but uniquely they do not excavate their own holes; instead, they repurpose abandoned woodpecker or barbet cavities, or natural tree hollows. The female typically lays 2-3 white or pale blue eggs, and both parents share incubation duties for about 17-19 days. After hatching, both adults feed the chicks regurgitated food, and the young fledge after roughly 15-17 days. A notable reproductive strategy is their reliance on pre-existing cavities, which reduces energy expenditure on nest building and ties their breeding success to the availability of suitable tree holes in their tropical forest habitat.

Diet

The White-tailed Trogon is primarily a frugivore, with fruit making up the vast majority of its diet, particularly small, soft fruits and berries plucked directly from branches while hovering or sallying. Interestingly, it is also an opportunistic insectivore, adept at catching large insects like caterpillars, beetles, and katydids in mid-air or by gleaning them from foliage, and it has been observed following army ant swarms to snatch fleeing arthropods. A particularly specialized aspect of its diet is the consumption of certain toxic caterpillars, from which it may sequester defensive chemicals to make its own flesh unpalatable to predators.

Colors

The male White-tailed Trogon has a bright yellow belly, a metallic green head and chest, and a white undertail with black barring, while the female replaces the green with dark gray and has a more restricted yellow belly. Both sexes have a blue eye-ring and a white tail underside visible in flight, but the male's white tail tip is more extensive. Their soft, mottled plumage provides excellent camouflage against dappled forest light.