The masked trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is fairly common in humid highland forests in South America, mainly the Andes and tepuis.
Region
Andes Mountains and Guiana Shield (Tepuis)
Typical Environment
Found in humid montane forests from Venezuela and Colombia south through Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia, and on the tepuis of the Guiana Shield. It favors cloud forests, mature humid forest interiors, and edges with dense midstory. The species also uses secondary forest and forested ravines where canopy cover remains high. It perches quietly in shaded mid-elevation strata and along forested slopes and stream corridors.
Altitude Range
800–3000 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The masked trogon is a quiet, forest-dwelling trogon of humid Andean and tepui highlands. Males show a dark facial 'mask' with iridescent green upperparts and a red belly, while females are mostly brown with rufous underparts. They often sit motionless in the midstory and sally out to pluck insects or fruits. Their soft, mournful hoots carry through cloud forests at dawn.
Male in northwestern Ecuador showing black "mask"
Temperament
quiet and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Nests are placed in decayed stumps or soft, rotting trunks excavated mainly with the bill. Both sexes participate in incubation and feeding of the young. Territories are maintained with soft vocalizations rather than overt displays.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a series of soft, hollow hoots or mournful coos, often in evenly spaced sequences. Calls are low-pitched and carry surprisingly well through dense foliage, most frequent at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Male with glossy green upperparts and breast separated from a red belly by a narrow white band; female largely brown above with paler brown breast and rufous belly. Both sexes show finely barred black-and-white undertail and dark, unpatterned wings typical of trogons. Feathers appear soft and slightly fluffy, giving a sleek yet full-bodied look.
Diet
Eats a mix of arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, and orthopterans, along with small fruits and berries. It typically sally-gleans from a perch, snatching prey from foliage or in short aerial sallies. Fruits from Lauraceae and other montane trees form a regular part of the diet. It may hover briefly to pluck items from leaves or hanging clusters.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the shaded midstory and subcanopy of humid montane forests. Often uses forest edges, clearings with remnant trees, and along riparian corridors where fruiting trees are common.
