Trogons

All 4 species of trogons on WAnimals

Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 46 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…?

• It nests inside active termite mounds and wasp nests: it digs a chamber into the structure, and the termites or wasps seal the wound around it without attacking it, giving the chicks a stable temperature and protection from predators.

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• Its stillness is its defence: it can stay motionless for several minutes turning only its head, and its iridescent green makes it practically invisible among the foliage.

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• Its skin is so thin and so loosely attached that it tears at the slightest contact, a classic problem for taxidermists and perhaps a defence against predators.

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• Its name honours a Khoikhoi woman: the naturalist François Levaillant, who travelled through South Africa in the eighteenth century, dedicated the species to his companion, whom he called Narina, and it is one of the few bird names in the world that honours an African person.

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• Like all trogons it has an arrangement of toes unique among birds, with the first and second toes pointing backwards, shared by no other group.

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• Its stillness is its camouflage: it stays motionless with its back to the observer, and the iridescent green of its back merges it with the foliage even though the crimson breast is visible from the other side.

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Ecosystems