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SPECIES PROFILE
Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans)
Trogon
IUCN STATUS
Least Concern
CONSERVATION STATUS
Least Concern
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Madrean sky island region from southern Arizona to northwestern Nicaragua; in Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua south through the Sierra Madre
DIET
Omnivore
HABITAT
Madrean pine-oak woodland and riparian canyon forest; associates with sycamore-lined streams in arid mountain canyons
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Trogoniformes
FAMILY
Trogonidae
GENUS
Trogon
📋 Description
SIZE
28–30 cm; 65 g
COLORATION
Males: iridescent copper-green head and back; brilliant red belly; white breast band; copper tail with black-and-white barring; females duller brown
ADAPTATIONS
Perches upright and sallies out to pluck fruit or catch insects; excavates nest cavities in rotting wood; nests in old woodpecker holes
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Madrean pine-oak woodland and riparian canyon forest; associates with sycamore-lined streams in arid mountain canyons
DIET
Omnivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Madrean sky island region from southern Arizona to northwestern Nicaragua; in Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua south through the Sierra Madre
REPRODUCTION
Cavity nester in rotting wood or old woodpecker holes; 2–3 eggs; both parents incubate for 22 days; single brood per year
DIET DETAILS
Fruits (especially small figs and berries) plucked in hovering flight; also large insects, lizards, and small frogs
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Logging of pine-oak forest; loss of old rotting snags for nesting; climate change reducing suitable canyon conditions
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The Elegant Trogon draws birders from around the world to Madrean sky island canyons; it is the closest relative of the Resplendent Quetzal of Central America.
2
Trogons are physiologically unusual — their skin is so thin and fragile that museum specimens often lose their feathers; they must be handled with extreme care.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Álamos in southern Sonora is the most accessible Mexican location for Elegant Trogon in riverside tropical dry forest
Sierra de Alamos-Río Cuchujaqui Biosphere Reserve near Álamos, Sonora, has Elegant Trogon in foothill thorn forest
Cañon del Nacapule near Guaymas, Sonora, is a notable canyon locality for Elegant Trogon at lower elevations
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Summer breeding. Arrives in the Sierra Madre Occidental canyons of Sonora in April; Madrean sky island canyons are the best locations.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
April to September in Madrean canyon woodland near Álamos, Sonora, and in the Chiricahua-adjacent canyon country of northern Sonora.
