Trogon caligatus Gould, 1838

Trogon Plumage Dimorphism

Most trogon species have distinctive plumage between males and females, with soft, often colorful feathers.

Species Size and Weight

The gartered trogon (Trogon caligatus Gould, 1838) is 23 to 25 cm (9.1 to 9.8 in) long and weighs 38 to 57 g (1.3 to 2.0 oz).

Nominate Male Head and Breast Coloration

For the nominate subspecies, the male's head, neck, and upper breast are violet-blue. Its face and throat are black, with a pale yellow ring around the eye.

Nominate Male Underparts Coloration

A narrow white band separates the upper breast from the bright yellow lower breast and belly. Its upperparts are metallic green.

Nominate Male Tail Structure

The upperside of the tail is violet-blue with black feather tips; the underside has fine black and white bars and broad white feather tips. The wings are mostly black with some whitish markings.

Nominate Female Plumage

The female's head, face, upper breast, and upperparts are gray; her eyering is not complete, her belly is a duller yellow than the male's, and the underside of her tail has a different black and white pattern.

T. c. sallaei Subspecies Plumage

Subspecies T. c. sallaei has a blackish head and upper breast, and a blue nape and lower breast. Its upperparts are a yellower green than those of the nominate subspecies, and the upperside of its tail is green.

T. c. concinnus Subspecies Plumage

Subspecies T. c. concinnus is similar to T. c. sallaei, but its upperparts and tail are bluer.

T. c. sallaei Distribution

T. c. sallaei is the northernmost subspecies of gartered trogon. It occurs on the Caribbean slope of central Mexico, and from the Caribbean and Pacific slopes of southern Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador into northern Honduras, and possibly into Nicaragua.

T. c. concinnus Distribution

T. c. concinnus is found from Costa Rica through most of Panama into western Colombia, and also in a separate range from western Ecuador into northwestern Peru.

Nominate Subspecies Distribution

The nominate T. c. caligatus is found from the Caribbean slope of Panama's Darién Province through northern Colombia into western Venezuela.

Movement Patterns

The gartered trogon is a year-round resident in Mexico, but any movements it makes in other parts of its range are unknown.

Habitat Preferences

The gartered trogon generally inhabits semi-open landscapes, including forest edges, clearings, gallery forest, secondary forest, and shaded coffee and cacao plantations. In Mexico, it is also found in denser evergreen forest and rainforest.

Elevation Range

In elevation, it ranges as high as 1,400 m (4,600 ft) in Central America, but is generally more common in lowlands.