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*ELEGANT TROGON Trogon elegans 28–30.5cm. Medium-size red-bellied
trogon of lowland dry forest, gallery forest, humid forest in foothills, especially
on hillsides and in gullies. Feeds low to high, calls mainly from subcanopy;
often wary. Note red belly, undertail pattern, voice; male has finely vermiculated,
silvery-gray upperwing panel, red eyering; female has diagnostic long white
teardrop, yellow bill; in foothills, cf. locally overlapping orange-bellied form of
Northern Collared Trogon. SOUNDS: Song a series of (2–9, usually 3–4) steadily
repeated, hoarse, slightly disyllabic phrases, kwa’h kwa’h..., or ah’rr ah’rr..., about
2 notes/sec, faster when excited. Gruff, slow-paced clucks in short series, krruh
krruh...; drawn-out, slurred low growl when agitated. STATUS: Fairly common to uncommon on n. Pacific
slope, to 800m. (Guatemala to Costa Rica.)
*NORTHERN COLLARED TROGON Trogon [collaris] puella 26.5–28.5cm.
Relatively small red-bellied trogon of humid foothill and highland forest. Feeds
and perches low to high, calls mainly from mid-levels in shady understory
where can be fairly confiding. Distinctive in range: note undertail pattern,
white breast band, voice, cf. Elegant Trogon, which overlaps very locally in
Northwest; in Caribbean foothills, cf. larger, pale-eyed Lattice-tailed Trogon.
Populations in Northern Mts., and some individuals in Central and Talamanca
Mts., have orange vs. red belly, formerly treated as a separate species, Orange-
bellied Trogon T. aurantiiventris. SOUNDS: Song 2–3 plaintive, downslurred
whistles with measured cadence, kyow kyow, easily imitated, often rather quiet; less often kyow kyow-kow
and rarely single notes or short series with slightly descending, laughing cadence. Call a slightly descending
nasal growl, ahrrrrr, often repeated steadily as tail is raised and lowered. STATUS: Fairly common on both
slopes, mainly 700–2500m, rarely higher; some post-breeding dispersal to lower elevations in summer–
fall. (Mexico to Panama.)
SLATY-TAILED TROGON Trogon massena 33–35cm. Large, stout-billed, red-
bellied trogon of humid forest and edge, sometimes adjacent tree-scattered
farmland with forest patches; often nests in termitaries. Mostly at mid–upper
levels; sings mainly from subcanopy, often confiding. Distinctive, with stout
orange bill, lack of white breast band, dark slaty undertail (narrowly barred
white at edges on imm.). Cf. female Baird’s Trogon, which has blue eyering,
grayish bill, barred wing coverts. SOUNDS: Song a steady, often prolonged series
of hard, overslurred clucks, koh-koh..., or ka-ka..., 3–4 notes/sec up to 30 secs
or longer. Quiet clucking chatters, at times with laughing cadence. STATUS: Fairly
common to common on both slopes, rarely to 1200m. (Mexico to nw. Ecuador.)
LATTICE-TAILED TROGON Trogon clathratus 30–32cm. Rather large red-
bellied trogon of humid lower foothill forest. Mostly at mid–upper levels; sings
mainly from subcanopy; sometimes nests in termitaries. Distinctive in range:
note pale eyes, stout yellowish bill, voice, undertail pattern, lack of white breast
band; cf. larger Slaty-tailed Trogon. Juv. has duller eyes, male has brownish
breast. SOUNDS: Song a fairly rapid, slightly overslurred laughing series of
(usually 7–20) hollow nasal clucks, 1st and last notes quieter, ha-hah-hah...;
1–4 secs duration. Call a rapid purring rattle, about 1 sec. STATUS: Uncommon
to fairly common locally on Caribbean slope, mainly 100–1100m. (Costa Rica
to w. Panama.)
