Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
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Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds
Adult male. Photo: Gary Clark/Audubon Photography Awards
Elegant Trogon
Trogon elegans
| Conservation status | Probably has gradually increased in Arizona during the 20th century; up to 50 pairs now nest there. Vulnerable to disturbance by observers while nesting. |
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| Family | Trogons |
| Habitat | Mountain forests, pine-oak or sycamore canyons. In Arizona, breeds in canyons through the pine-oak zone of mountains, almost always where sycamores grow along flowing streams. In Mexico and Central America, lives in canyons and scrubby lowland woods in relatively dry areas, avoiding tall rain forest. |
Photo Gallery
Feeding Behavior
A trogon will perch quietly, turning and tilting its head very slowly as it peers about. After spotting a choice berry, or an insect sitting on a leaf, the bird will fly out and hover for a few seconds as it plucks the item, and then swoop away to another perch.
Eggs
2, sometimes 3, occasionally 4. Incubation is by both parents, 22-23 days; female incubates at night and at midday, male in early morning and late afternoon. Young: Cared for and fed by both parents. Young leave the nest about 20-23 days after hatching, but are dependent on their parents for a few more weeks.
Young
Cared for and fed by both parents. Young leave the nest about 20-23 days after hatching, but are dependent on their parents for a few more weeks.
Diet
Mostly insects and fruits. Feeds on a wide variety of insects, especially big ones such as katydids, cicadas, walkingsticks, and large caterpillars. Will also eat small lizards. Also eats many small fruits and berries, such as chokecherry and wild grape, especially in late summer and fall.
Nesting
Male defends nesting territory with repeated calling in spring. In courtship, male leads female to potential nest sites, calling from inside cavity; female enters to indicate acceptance. Nest site is in cavity in tree. In Arizona, usually in old flicker hole in dead tree or limb, especially in sycamores; 8-50' above the ground, typically about 25-26' up. Sometimes competes actively for nest sites with other birds, such as Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers. Little or no nest material added, eggs laid on bottom of cavity or on accumulated debris.
