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Tucson Audubon Society
Dastardly Duos
Elegant and Mountain Trogons
by Larry Liese
Illustrations by George C. West
(Article first appeared in the July-August, 2002 Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter. To receive the newsletter in the mail, become a member of the Friends of Tucson Audubon.)
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In this issue we take an exotic turn and look at two species of trogons. The first is one of southeast Arizona’s flagship bird species, the Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans); the second is a bird yet to cross the Mexican border (but on the ABA’s top six most likely birds to do so in our area), the Mountain Trogon (Trogon mexicanus). Together with the Collared Trogon of more southerly climes, these birds form a triad of quite similar appearance.
The Elegant Trogon is an uncommon though findable bird of riparian canyons, breeding where Arizona Sycamores line canyon streambeds. In Arizona they prefer the pine-oak zone between 5,000 and 7,000 feet elevation, but range much lower further south. Typical study results here show over 80% of nests to be in sycamores, with oaks and willows also used. Northern Flickers are usually credited with excavating the original nest cavities. They are present from April through September; a few overwinter giving a surprise sighting to some unsuspecting birders.
The December 1998 Birding magazine lists the Mountain Trogon as one of the next predicted new ABA birds for southern Arizona and Southwestern New Mexico. Mountain Trogons have been found as close as 100 miles from the border. Since it strongly resembles the Elegant Trogon, some think it may have already appeared here but not have been noticed. They are midlevel montane birds preferring pine-oak and pine-evergreen forest of 4000 to over 11000 feet elevation. Any trogon found at a higher than expected elevation should be carefully examined. Wow! Wouldn’t that be a great find!
The first Mountain Trogon that I encountered was near Yecora, Sonora – about 190 miles south of the border. It had been calling repeatedly. When we finally located the bird, with astonishment we realized that it was not an Elegant but a Mountain (a new trogon is always a thrill!). The calls are quite different when played back to back. The Elegant’s call that we know sounds gruff, coarse and fast in comparison to that of the Mountain, which is a more note-like and slower series of slurred kyow notes.
Visual differences between the two trogons are distinct but could be missed. For the males, the grayish wing panel is paler and there are whitish edges to the primaries on the Elegant - the Mountain having all-dark primaries. More distinctive for the males is both the uppertail (coppery with a broader black tip on the Elegant, while blue-green to green with a narrow black tip on the Mountain), and undertail – finely vermiculated on the Elegant, while strongly patterned by three pairs of bold white blocks against a dark background on the Mountain.
The female Elegant has a distinctive white postocular patch not present on the Mountain female. The upper mandible of the female Mountain Trogon is mostly dark, while the others discussed here have all yellow bills, and it also is the only one without a bright orbital ring around the eye. The undertails of the females are also different. The Mountain female has a three-sectioned pattern that is darker and bolder than the Elegant, though not as much so as the male Mountain Trogon. The female Elegant’s undertail is very pale with fine dusky barring.
So if you’re above about 7,000 feet and hear a trogon call that doesn't sound right, track down that bird and get a good look at the undertail. You may just get a really special bird. Good luck!
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This page was updated on 02/21/06