Black-throated Trogon

Trogon rufus

eBird gives this description for the Black-throated Trogon:  Yellow-bellied trogon with pale blue or yellow eyering and yellow bill. Male has shimmering green-blue head and back; female is brown. Underside of tail barred black and white with large white tips. Found in forested areas, usually sitting still at middle heights. Listen for song, slower and shorter than other trogons: a handful of low whistled notes.

The Birds of the World website introduces the Black-throated Trogon this way:  Black-throated Trogon is a widespread species of lowland forests, which occupies three disjunct regions: in Middle America and in northwestern South America, west of the Andes; in Amazonia; and in the Atlantic forests of eastern South American. Males are green on the head, chest, and back, with grayish wings and a yellow belly; the underside of the tail is barred black and white. Females are golden brown where males are green, and have a rufous upper surface to the tail. Vocalizations include rough coughing barks and series of deep whistles. Black-throated Trogons primarily feed on insects but will also consume fruit.

I saw and photographed my first Black-throated Trogon on the afternoon of February 6, 2023 at La Selva in Costa Rica.  The photos of this bird were perhaps the most disappointing of all the photos I took on my Costa Rica trip.  While the bird was a great distance away, the light was fairly good and my view was pretty clear, but, as you can see from the photos below, I was unable to get the bird in sharp focus.  Maybe next time…