Bar-tailed Trogon (Apaloderma vittatum)

Bar-tailed Trogon

[order] TROGONIFORMES | [family] Trogonidae | [latin] Apaloderma vittatum | [authority] Shelley, 1882 | [UK] Bar-tailed Trogon | [FR] Couroucou a queuebarree | [DE] Bergtrogon | [ES] Trogon Montano | [NL] Bandstaarttrogon

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

Apaloderma is a genus of African birds in the Trogonidae family. The African species are considered the original species of Trogons. Espinosa De Los Monteros (1991) states that the idea of a Neotropical origin is not supported. Instead, an African origin for trogons seems a reasonable conclusion, with the New World representing a secondary center of radiation for the Trogoniformes. Another aspect of difference between the African and Asian and Netropical species is their coloration, the African are less iridescent because the feathers have a diffenret (less complex) structure.

Physical charateristics

The Bar-tailed Trogon averages about 28 cm long. The bill and feet are yellow, and the tail, long and broad as usual for trogons, has the underside narrowly barred with black and white. The male’s head is blue-black with bronze iridescence. Below the eye are two yellow or orange patches of bare skin; above the eye is a yellow or grey patch. The upper breast is iridescent from violet to blue-green; the rest of the underparts are red. The back is green and the upper surface of the tail is blue-black or purple-black. The female’s head is brown with less ornamental bare skin and its throat and breast are light cinnamon; otherwise it resembles the male. The immature is similar to the female, but has a white belly and pale spots on the wings formed by the tips of the wing coverts and inner secondaries

Listen to the sound of Bar-tailed Trogon

[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/TROGONIFORMES/Trogonidae/sounds/Bar-tailed Trogon.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto


wingspan min.: 0 cm wingspan max.: 0 cm
size min.: 28 cm size max.: 30 cm
incubation min.: 0 days incubation max.: 0 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 0 days
broods: 0   eggs min.: 2  
      eggs max.: 3  

Range

Africa : Westcentral, East

Habitat

It lives in forests; its preferred altitude, above about 1600 meters, is typically higher up than the Narina Trogon, but the two occur together in some places.

Reproduction

Builds nest in a dying tree cavity usually 2 meter up. Clutch size is 2-3 eggs.

Feeding habits

Favors soft canopy insects, moths and caterpillars.

Video Bar-tailed Trogon

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOck27zJxOI

copyright: Josep del Hoyo


Conservation

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Bar-tailed Trogon status Least Concern

Migration

Presumed sedentary

Distribution map

Bar-tailed Trogon distribution range map

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