Green-backed Trogon
Encyclopedia
The Green-backed Trogon (Trogon viridis), also known as the Amazonian White-tailed Trogon, is a near passerine
bird in the trogon
family. It is found in tropical humid forests in South America
, where its range includes the Amazon
, the Guiana Shield, Trinidad
, and the Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil
. It formerly included T. chionurus
of the Chocó region as a subspecies
, but under the common name White-tailed Trogon (a name now reserved for T. chionurus).
For comparison, the similar but smaller Violaceous Trogon
has a yellow (male) or incomplete white eye-ring (female), and the male also has barring to the undertail.
There is no overlap in the distribution of the Green-backed and White-tailed Trogon
s, but the two can be separated by the undertail pattern: Unlike the Green-backed Trogon, the male White-tailed Trogon only has a very narrow black base to each feather (the undertail appears almost entirely white), and the female mainly has black-and-white barring to the inner webs of each feather (can be difficult to see). The male White-tailed Trogon also has a bluer rump than the Green-backed Trogon.
The song of the Green-backed Trogon consists of about 20 cow notes that start slow, but accelerate towards the end. The song is slower than the White-tailed Trogon, and higher pitched than the Black-tailed Trogon
.
, supplemented by arthropod
s – slightly more so in the dry season
when fruit are scarce, but even then they seems to be among the most frugivorous trogons in their range. They are consequently more rarely seen to attend mixed-species feeding flock
s than other trogons.
It is a resident of humid tropical forest
s, and it typically is the commonest trogon in its range. It nests in a termite
nest or a hole in a rotten tree. The nest is usually if not always built by the female which excavates an upward-sloping tunnel ending in a breeding chamber. The nesting season is apparently mainly during the summer months (June–August). The clutch
is typically two or three white eggs. These are incubated for 16–17 days, with a further two weeks to fledging.
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
bird in the trogon
Trogon
The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family contains 39 species in eight genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the mid-Eocene. They might constitute a member of the basal radiation of...
family. It is found in tropical humid forests in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, where its range includes the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, the Guiana Shield, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, and the Atlantic Forest in eastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It formerly included T. chionurus
White-tailed Trogon
The White-tailed Trogon , also known as the Western White-tailed Trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family. It is found in tropical humid forests of the Chocó, ranging from Panama, through western Colombia, to western Ecuador. It was formerly considered a subspecies of T...
of the Chocó region as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, but under the common name White-tailed Trogon (a name now reserved for T. chionurus).
Description
This relatively large trogon is 28 to 30 cm (11 to 11.8 in) long. As most trogons, it is strongly sexually dimorphic. In the male the head and upper breast are dark blue (appears blackish in poor light), and the back is green. The lower underparts are orange yellow. The wings are black, vermiculated with white. The undertail is black and white: Each feather has a broad black base and a broad white tip and outer edge. The complete eye-ring is pale bluish. The female Green-backed Trogon resembles the male, but has a grey back, head and breast, and distinct black-and-white barring mainly to the outer webs of each tail feather.For comparison, the similar but smaller Violaceous Trogon
Violaceous Trogon
The Violaceous Trogon , also known as the Guianan Trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is found in humid forests in the Amazon Basin of South America and on the island of Trinidad, although some authorities have argued for treating the west Amazonian population as...
has a yellow (male) or incomplete white eye-ring (female), and the male also has barring to the undertail.
There is no overlap in the distribution of the Green-backed and White-tailed Trogon
White-tailed Trogon
The White-tailed Trogon , also known as the Western White-tailed Trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family. It is found in tropical humid forests of the Chocó, ranging from Panama, through western Colombia, to western Ecuador. It was formerly considered a subspecies of T...
s, but the two can be separated by the undertail pattern: Unlike the Green-backed Trogon, the male White-tailed Trogon only has a very narrow black base to each feather (the undertail appears almost entirely white), and the female mainly has black-and-white barring to the inner webs of each feather (can be difficult to see). The male White-tailed Trogon also has a bluer rump than the Green-backed Trogon.
The song of the Green-backed Trogon consists of about 20 cow notes that start slow, but accelerate towards the end. The song is slower than the White-tailed Trogon, and higher pitched than the Black-tailed Trogon
Black-tailed Trogon
The Black-tailed Trogon, Trogon melanurus, is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is found in humid forest in the Amazon Basin, north-western South America and adjacent Panama...
.
Ecology
They typically perch upright and motionless. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. Their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Green-backed Trogons feed mainly on small fruitFruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, supplemented by arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s – slightly more so in the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
when fruit are scarce, but even then they seems to be among the most frugivorous trogons in their range. They are consequently more rarely seen to attend mixed-species feeding flock
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
s than other trogons.
It is a resident of humid tropical forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, and it typically is the commonest trogon in its range. It nests in a termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
nest or a hole in a rotten tree. The nest is usually if not always built by the female which excavates an upward-sloping tunnel ending in a breeding chamber. The nesting season is apparently mainly during the summer months (June–August). The clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
is typically two or three white eggs. These are incubated for 16–17 days, with a further two weeks to fledging.