Ward's trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. Its range includes the northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent stretching eastwards to Southeast Asia. It is found in Bhutan, India, Tibet, and Myanmar. It also has a disjunct population in northern Vietnam, but there are no recent records from there. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Region
Eastern Himalayas and Northern Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from northeastern India and Bhutan through northern Myanmar and southern Tibet (China), with historical but now unconfirmed records from northern Vietnam. It inhabits dense subtropical and temperate montane broadleaf forests, often with oak, rhododendron, and laurel. The species frequents shaded gullies, ravines, and streamside forest where the understory is thick. It tends to remain inside forest interiors rather than edges. Local upslope and downslope movements may occur seasonally following food availability.
Altitude Range
600–2700 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Ward's trogon is a shy forest specialist that often sits motionless for long periods, making it easy to overlook despite its striking colors. Males and females look very different, a hallmark of trogons. It prefers intact, mature hill forests and is sensitive to logging and fragmentation, with some local altitudinal movements following seasons. Protecting continuous evergreen and montane broadleaf forests is key to its persistence.
Temperament
shy and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs within well-wooded ravines and interior forest. Monogamous pairs nest in self-excavated cavities in rotten stumps or soft dead wood. Both sexes participate in excavation and incubation, and the birds often choose sites with dense cover.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a soft, mournful series of evenly spaced hoots, often delivered from a concealed perch. Also utters low churring notes and quiet contact calls when moving between perches.
Plumage
Male shows a glossy black head and upper breast with a bold white breast band, rich crimson to rufous-red underparts, and warm chestnut upperparts; female is mostly brown above with buffy to yellow underparts and a paler, less contrasting breast band. Both sexes have a blue orbital ring, finely barred black-and-white undertail, and soft, silky plumage typical of trogons.
Diet
Feeds on a mix of insects and small fruits. Prey includes caterpillars, beetles, orthopterans, and other arboreal invertebrates, which are taken by short sallies from a perch or gleaned from foliage. It supplements this with figs and other berries, especially when insect prey is less abundant. Food is typically swallowed whole.
Preferred Environment
Forages from shaded midstory perches in mature evergreen and montane broadleaf forest. Often hunts along forested streams, gullies, and steep slopes where cover is dense. Rarely ventures into open areas or forest edges.
