Masked Trogon
Encyclopedia
The Masked Trogon is a species of bird
in the Trogonidae family. It is fairly common in humid highland forests in South America
, mainly the Andes
and tepuis.
of Masked Trogon:
The last of these has sometimes been considered a separate species, the Highland Trogon (Trogon temperatus).
, averaging 27 centimetres (10.6 in) in length and 56 grams (2 oz) in mass. Like all trogons, it displays sexual dimorphism
. The upperparts, head and upper chest of the male are variously glossy green, reddish-bronze or golden-green (depending on the subspecies). The belly and lower breast are red; the latter separated from the greenish upper chest by a narrow white band. The male has a distinct eye-ring, which is red in most subspecies, but tending towards orange in the subspecies from the tepuis. The female is brown above, with a pinkish to red belly and breast; the white band separating brown and red on her underside is often either narrow or obscured. Females of all subspecies have a partial white eye-ring.
in the soft wood of a rotting vertical tree trunk.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Trogonidae family. It is fairly common in humid highland 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...
, mainly the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
and tepuis.
Taxonomy
There are eight recognized subspeciesSubspecies
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...
of Masked Trogon:
- T. p. assimilis is found in the subtropics of the west Andean slope in EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. - T. p. duidae is found on Mount Duida in the tepui region of southern VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
; males of this subspecies are reddish-bronze on the back. - T. p. personatus is found in the subtropical Andes of Venezuela, central and east Andean slopes in ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, and east Andean slopes in Ecuador and PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
; males of this subspecies are glossy green above. - T. p. ptaritepui is found in the tepuiTepuiA tepui , or tepuy, is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana....
region of southern Venezuela; males of this subspecies are golden-green on the back. - T. p. roraimae is found on AuyantepuiAuyantepuiAuyantepui, also Auyantepuy, Auyan-Tepui, or Aiyan-Tepui, is a tepui plateau in the Gran Sabana region of the Bolivar State in Venezuela. It is one of the largest tepuis in the Guiana Highlands, with an area of .Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, drops from a cleft near the summit...
and Monte RoraimaMonte RoraimaMount Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateau in South America. First described by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1596, its summit area is defended by 400-metre-tall cliffs on all sides...
, on the border between Venezuela, GuyanaGuyanaGuyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
and BrazilBrazilBrazil , 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...
. - T. p. sanctamartae is found in the Santa Marta Mountains of northeastern Colombia.
- T. p. submontanus is found in the Andean foothills in BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. - T. p. temperatus is found in the temperate Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
The last of these has sometimes been considered a separate species, the Highland Trogon (Trogon temperatus).
Description
The Masked Trogon is a mid-sized trogonTrogon
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...
, averaging 27 centimetres (10.6 in) in length and 56 grams (2 oz) in mass. Like all trogons, it displays sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
. The upperparts, head and upper chest of the male are variously glossy green, reddish-bronze or golden-green (depending on the subspecies). The belly and lower breast are red; the latter separated from the greenish upper chest by a narrow white band. The male has a distinct eye-ring, which is red in most subspecies, but tending towards orange in the subspecies from the tepuis. The female is brown above, with a pinkish to red belly and breast; the white band separating brown and red on her underside is often either narrow or obscured. Females of all subspecies have a partial white eye-ring.
Breeding
The Masked Trogon excavates a cavity nestBird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
in the soft wood of a rotting vertical tree trunk.
External links
- Masked Trogon videos from Handbook of Birds of the World's Internet Bird Collection
- Masked Trogon photos from the Academy of Natural SciencesAcademy of Natural SciencesThe Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...
's Visual Resources for Ornithology department - Masked Trogon sounds from sound repository xeno-canto.org