| Bare-cheeked trogon | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Trogoniformes |
| Family: | Trogonidae |
| Genus: | Apaloderma |
| Species: | A. aequatoriale |
| Binomial name | |
| Apaloderma aequatoriale Sharpe, 1901 | |
The bare-cheeked trogon (Apaloderma aequatoriale) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae found in the rainforests of western central Africa.
The bare-cheeked trogon physically resembles the narina trogon, but it has bright yellow facial skin while narina trogons have green facial skin. [2] [3] [4] They also differ from narina trogons in smaller size and shorter tail. [5] Bare-cheeked trogons are sexually dismorphic. The male's back, head and upper breast is green blueish; and its lower breast is pinkish red. Its wings are pale grey and finely barred; and it has a yellow bare facial patch. The female shares the same wing coloration and also has that distinct yellow facial patch, however her whole breast is pinkish red and only her back and the back of her head are green blueish. Both sexes have a white undertail and a yellow bill and measure 28-31 cm. [5]
They have heterodactyl feet which is a distinctive feature only Trogons share. [6]
Bare-cheeked trogons are part of the order Trogoniformes which only includes one family: Trogonidae. This family includes a variety of species who live in tropical and subtropical forests throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia and Pacific islands . [7] The Bare-cheeked trogon is one of three African species belonging to the Apaloderma genus. The other two species are bar-tailed trogon and narina trogon. Based on molecular data, narina trogons and bare-cheeked trogons are sister-taxa. [8] The bare-cheeked trogon does not have any subspecies as they are monotypic. [5]
Bare-cheeked trogons are found year-round across central west Africa and do not typically migrate. [5] It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria. [7]
The bare-cheeked trogon lives in interior regions of lowland rainforests. [9] They can be found in closed-canopy swamp-forest, low-lying liana-rich flood forest and logged forest with intact canopy. [5] [10] They spend most of their time in the subcanopy and rely on tree cavities to nest. [11] [9]
Bare-cheeked trogons can be easily differentiated from narina trogon by their songs. [2] [3] They have a distinct song described as a series of 6-8 “chuu”s repeated every 15–20 seconds. When adults arrive at the nest with food, they emit low grunting calls. [5] It has been reported that bare-cheeped trogons engage in singing aggregations. This calling assemblage involves a group of 3 to 10 adult males, with occasional instances of up to 20, continuously vocalizing as they pursue each other from one perching spot to another. [11] Male narina trogons may also join this aggregation. These calling assemblages happen during brood period so they may be related to reproduction but it still remains uncertain as they do not lead to copulation. [2] This behavior is common to several trogon species. [11]
Just like their sister-taxa, narina trogons, bare-cheeked trogons are insectivores and feed on large green caterpillars, beetles, moths, mantises and bush-crickets. [12] They also feed on grass and moss. They hunt similarly to drongos and can sometimes chase their prey to the ground. [5] Indeed, their sister-taxa narina are sallying insectivores and hunt by launching from a stationary position onto stationary or moving prey, which might be a shared behavior, however little is known about their hunting practices. [13]
There is no fixed breeding season, it varies from region to region. They are monogamous and territorial. [11] The male will fight for the possession of the nest which are formed in cavities 2–8 m up in rotting trees. Two eggs will be laid and will take 16 days to hatch. Once hatched, the young will be fed by both parents for another 16 days, hence both sexes participate in parental care. [5] [11]
The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family Trogonidae contains 46 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Early Eocene. They might constitute a member of the basal radiation of the order Coraciiformes and order Passeriformes or be closely related to mousebirds and owls. The word trogon is Greek for "nibbling" and refers to the fact that these birds gnaw holes in trees to make their nests.
The collared trogon is a near passerine bird in family Trogonidae, the quetzals and trogons. It is found in Mexico, throughout Central America, and in northern South America.
Harpactes is a genus of birds in the family Trogonidae found in forests in South and Southeast Asia, extending into southernmost China. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, with females generally being duller than males. Their back is brownish, the tail is partially white, and males of most species have red underparts. They feed on arthropods, small lizards and fruit.
The elegant trogon, previously known as the coppery-tailed trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family native to Central America. The etymology of the word trogon comes from the Greek word trōgein, meaning "to gnaw", which describes how this species prepares its nests in trees.
Trogon is a genus of Coraciimorphae birds in the trogon family. Its members occur in forests and woodlands of the Americas, ranging from southeastern Arizona to northern Argentina.
The Narina trogon is a largely green and red, medium-sized, bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and catholic in habitat choice of the three Apaloderma species, their numbers are locally depleted due to deforestation. Some populations are sedentary while others undertake regular movements.
The eared quetzal, also known as the eared trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is native to streamside pine-oak forests and canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico south to western Michoacán, and southeasternmost Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. This range includes part of the Madrean Sky Islands region of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora.
The Sumatran trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Javan trogon under the common name blue-tailed trogon.
Apalharpactes is a genus of birds in the family Trogonidae. They are restricted to humid highland forest on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. Unlike all other Asian trogons, their plumage is mainly green above and yellow below. Compared to most trogons, the sexual dimorphism is relatively small. The two species in the genus resemble each other, but A. reinwardtii is larger than A. mackloti, and the male A. mackloti has a chestnut rump-patch, which A. reinwardtii lacks. They feed on arthropods, small lizards and fruit.
The bar-tailed trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is a resident bird to central Africa that eats primarily insects and fruit.
Diard's trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The orange-breasted trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is a colorful, sedentary species that inhabits the lower canopy of the lowlands and forest of southern China, southeast Asia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java.
The cinnamon-rumped trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae or Trogons which are some of the most colourful birds on Earth especially the quetzals found in the Neotropics. There is very little known about this family of birds as a whole and even less information on the cinnamon-rumped trogon.
Ward's trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. Its range includes the northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent stretching eastwards to Southeast Asia. It is found in Bhutan, India, Tibet, and Myanmar. It also has a disjunct population in northern Vietnam, but there are no recent records from there. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Whitehead's trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is an uncommon resident in primary mountain forest. One of Borneo's largest trogons at 29 to 33 cm long, it is sexually dimorphic. The male is crimson on the head, nape, and underparts, with a black throat and grey chest; the rest of his upperparts are cinnamon-coloured. The female is similarly patterned, but cinnamon-brown where the male is scarlet. The species was first described for science by Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1888, who named it for British explorer and collector John Whitehead. There are no subspecies.
The pavonine quetzal is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the trogons. It is also known at the peacock trogon, red-billed train bearer, or viuda pico rojo in Spanish. The pavonine quetzal lives in the Neotropics, more specifically in the northern region of the Amazon basin, spreading from Colombia to Bolivia. The most notable characteristics helpful in identifying this bird are its plumage, red beak, and its distribution - it is the only quetzal occupying the lowland rainforest east of the Andes.
The Hispaniolan trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola in the Caribbean. It is one of the only two trogon species found in the Caribbean. It is the national bird of Haiti.
The lattice-tailed trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the quetzals and trogons. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
The black-headed trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The mountain trogon, also known as the Mexican trogon, is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. First described by William John Swainson in 1827, it is resident in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico and has occurred in El Salvador as a vagrant. Like all trogons, the mountain trogon is sexually dimorphic. The male is metallic green on the crown, nape, upperparts and chest, the latter separated from its bright red belly and vent by a narrow band of white. The female is warm brown on the head, upperparts and chest, separated from its paler brown lower chest and red belly and vent by a narrow white band.
