Gartered Trogon
Trogon caligatus
eBird provides this description of the Gartered Trogon: Relatively small and compact yellow-bellied trogon of tropical lowland forest, mainly in humid areas. Perches at mid to upper levels, often high in canopy. Male has yellow eyering, female has broken white eyering; both sexes have narrow black-and-white barring on underside of tail. Female Gartered has white barring on its closed wings which female Black-headed Trogon lacks. Digs its nest in large arboreal wasp nests. Used to be known as Violaceous Trogon.
The Birds of the World website introduces the Gartered Trogon with this description: Based on genetic and vocalization data, “Violaceous” Trogon (Trogon violaceous) was recently split into Gartered Trogon and two other species, Guianan Trogon and Amazonian Trogon (note that Guianan Trogon retains the T. violaceous species name). Gartered Trogon is distributed from central Mexico throughout Central America, Colombia, western Ecuador, northwestern Peru and the Maracaibo basin in Venezuela. Its populations are separated into 3 subspecies which differ in size and the ratio of black to violet on the head. Males have a black head and neck, bright green back, scapulars, rump and upper tail and a yellow breast and belly. The under tail feathers are black with white bars and broad white tips. A habitat generalist ranging from sea level to 1800 meters, Gartered Trogons inhabit a variety of primary forest types as well as forest edge, plantations, mangroves and even clearings with scattered trees. A cavity nester, the Gartered Trogon utilizes wasp nests as well as termitaria, ant nests, epiphyte root balls, and other easily excavated substrates.
The recent split means that, in many previously published sources, Gartered Trogon is referred to as T. violaceous. Range should be used to distinguish Gartered Trogon in these instances. Generalizations about T. violaceous should be treated with caution, even in sources pertaining to the populations currently known as T. caligatus, unless the source specifically mentions the geographic locality of all of the individuals that form the basis of the generalization.
I saw my first Gartered Trogon at La Selva in Costa Rica late on the afternoon of February 6, 2023. The Trogon was near the first Broad-billed Motmots I saw, and I only got a brief glimpse of the bird. As you can see below, I didn’t get much of a photo, but was able to positively identify the bird.
