The blue-crowned trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the quetzals and trogons. It is found in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. As with all trogons, this species is sexually dimorphic. The male has a blue head with an orange orbital ring, a red belly with a narrow white breastband and a green back. The female differs in having a grey head, a grey back and a broken white eye-ring.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from the Amazon Basin to the southern Atlantic Forest and gallery forests of the Cerrado, including Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. Prefers lowland and foothill evergreen forest, riverine and gallery forest, and edges of secondary woodland. Frequently uses semi-open habitats with scattered tall trees, especially along waterways. It also forages in forest midstory and canopy clearings and may enter well-wooded parks or plantations near extensive forest.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Blue-crowned trogons often excavate their nests in arboreal termite nests or decayed wood, a strategy that provides insulation and protection. Like all trogons, they have a unique heterodactyl foot arrangement, with the first and second toes pointing backward and the third and fourth forward. They tend to sit motionless for long periods, sallying out to snatch prey before returning to a perch.
Near Campo Grande in Brazil
Illustration by Keulemans, 1892
Temperament
quiet and sedentary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, perching quietly in the midstory. Pairs excavate nest chambers in arboreal termite mounds or soft rotten wood. Both sexes likely participate in incubation and chick rearing, with short foraging sallies from favored perches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A soft, mellow series of evenly spaced whistled notes that may accelerate slightly, often rendered as a repeated ‘cow’ or ‘coo’ sequence. Calls are low and ventriloquial, carrying through forest understory and midstory.
