Trogon melanurus Swainson, 1838

Size and Weight

Black-tailed trogon (Trogon melanurus Swainson, 1838) measures 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) in length and weighs 52 to 122 g (1.8 to 4.3 oz).

Nominate Male Head Features

The male of the nominate subspecies has a yellow bill, a blackish face and throat, and an orange-red ring around the eye.

Nominate Male Body Plumage

Its crown, nape, upperparts, and breast are green, with a white band separating the breast from the red belly and vent.

Nominate Male Tail Features

The upperside of its tail is deep blue, and the underside is slaty gray.

Nominate Male Wing Features

The folded wing has fine vermiculation that appears gray from a distance.

Nominate Female Head and Body Plumage

The female has a slaty maxilla; she is gray in all areas where the nominate male is green, and the gray of her breast extends further into the upper belly.

Nominate Female Eye Markings

Instead of an orange-red eye ring, she has white arcs before and after the eye.

T. m. macroura Male Traits

Male T. m. macroura have coarser wing vermiculation than the nominate subspecies, more turquoise upper tail color, and longer wings and tail.

T. m. eumorphus Male Traits

Male T. m. eumorphus are similar to the nominate subspecies, but have darker wings, a bluer tail, and a narrower white breast band.

T. m. occidentalis Distinction

T. m. occidentalis cannot be distinguished from T. m. eumorphus.

T. m. macroura Range

The range of T. m. macroura is separate from that of the other subspecies; it occurs in Panama east of the Canal Zone, through northern Colombia, and into extreme northwestern Venezuela.

Nominate Subspecies Range

The nominate subspecies T. m. melanurus is found from eastern Colombia through southern Venezuela and the Guianas, and extends south into northeastern Brazil as far as Maranhão state.

T. m. eumorphus Range

T. m. eumorphus is found south of the range of T. m. melanurus, ranging from southern Colombia through eastern Ecuador and Peru into northern Bolivia, and east into Amazonian Brazil.

T. m. occidentalis Range Notes

When treated as a separate subspecies, T. m. occidentalis is said to occur in the São Paulo region of southeastern Brazil, but this area does not appear on published range maps for the black-tailed trogon.

General Habitat Context

Across its large range, the black-tailed trogon lives in different landscapes.

Panama Habitat

In Panama, it occurs in the interior and edges of humid lowland and foothill forests, including both primary and secondary forest.

Venezuela and French Guiana Habitat

In Venezuela and French Guiana, it inhabits rainforest.

Amazonia Habitat Types

In Amazonia, it lives in several forest types, including transitional forest, swamp forest, gallery forest, terra firme forest, and várzea forest.

Colombia Elevation Range

In Colombia west of the Andes, it can be found as high as 2,200 m (7,200 ft), though it mostly occurs at much lower elevations; east of the Andes, it reaches only 500 m (1,600 ft).

Venezuela Elevation Range

In Venezuela north of the Orinoco River, it is found only below 100 m (330 ft), while south of the river it ranges up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).