Bar-tailed trogon facts for kids
The bar-tailed trogon (Apaloderma vittatum) is a beautiful bird found in central Africa. It belongs to the Trogonidae family, which includes many colorful birds. These birds mainly eat insects and fruit.
Quick facts for kids Bar-tailed trogon |
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| Subadult, potentially male, in Kenya | |
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| Genus: |
Apaloderma
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| Species: |
vittatum
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Contents
Meet the Bar-tailed Trogon
The bar-tailed trogon is a medium-sized bird, about 28 centimetres (11 in) long. That's about the length of a ruler! Its bill and feet are bright yellow. Its tail is long and wide, like other trogons. The underside of its tail has thin black and white stripes.
What Does a Male Look Like?
The male bar-tailed trogon has a blue-black head that shines with bronze colors. Below its eye, it has two patches of bare skin that are yellow or orange. Above its eye, there's another patch that can be yellow or grey.
Its upper chest shines with colors from violet to blue-green. The rest of its belly is red. Its back is green, and the top of its tail is blue-black or purple-black.
What Does a Female Look Like?
The female bar-tailed trogon looks a bit different. Her head is brown, and she has less bare skin around her eyes. Her throat and chest are a light cinnamon color. Otherwise, she looks quite similar to the male.
Young Trogons
Young bar-tailed trogons look a lot like the females. However, they have a white belly. They also have pale spots on their wings. These spots are made by the tips of their wing feathers.
Listening to Their Calls
Bar-tailed trogons make interesting sounds. Their calls are like a yelping sound that gets louder and faster. It sounds like "yaow, yow, yow, yow…" or "wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk…". The female makes a different sound, "a whining chee-uu".
Where Do Bar-tailed Trogons Live?
The bar-tailed trogon lives in many countries in central Africa. You can find them in places like Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda.
Their Forest Home
These birds prefer to live in forests. They are usually found at higher altitudes, between 900 and 3,000 m (3,000 and 9,800 ft) (about 3,000 to 9,800 feet) above sea level. Sometimes, they live in the same areas as another type of trogon, the Narina trogon.
How Bar-tailed Trogons Live
What Do They Eat?
Like other trogons, the bar-tailed trogon loves to eat insects. They also enjoy eating different kinds of fruits.
When Do They Have Babies?
The bar-tailed trogon's breeding season happens when the dry season ends. This is usually when the rainy season begins, around October and November. Young birds, called yearlings, usually don't mate or claim their own areas. However, sometimes they have been heard singing!
Protecting the Bar-tailed Trogon
The IUCN says the bar-tailed trogon is a species of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. However, their numbers are slowly going down. This is mainly because their forest homes are being destroyed. People are working to protect these important forest habitats.
Gallery
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Adult male at Bwindi, western Uganda
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Illustration by Keulemans, 1892
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Subadult, potentially male; Kenya.
