Citreoline trogon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Citreoline trogon |
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Trogon
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citreolus
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The citreoline trogon (scientific name: Trogon citreolus) is a beautiful bird from the Trogonidae family. It lives only in western Mexico. This bird has a very large home range, covering about 539,000 square kilometers! Because it lives in such a big area, experts like the IUCN say it is a species of "Least Concern". This means they are not worried about it disappearing. Its population seems to be staying strong.
Scientists have also studied the citreoline trogon as an Ecosystem engineer. This means it helps shape its environment.
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Where Do Citreoline Trogons Live?
Citreoline trogons live in dry or partly dry forests. They can be found in low coastal jungles and thorny areas. You might also see them in thorn-forests, mangrove swamps, and even on farms.
Nesting Habits of the Citreoline Trogon
These birds build their nests inside special termite nests. These are termite nests built high up in trees. This nesting method is very important for other animals. It creates homes for many creatures in tropical dry forests.
How Do Citreoline Trogons Reproduce?
Citreoline trogons lay their eggs between May and August. They build their nests in those tree-dwelling termite nests. These nests are usually in places with good cover from plants. Each nest typically holds 2 to 4 eggs.
What Do Citreoline Trogons Eat?
The diet of the citreoline trogon changes with the seasons. From January to June, they mostly eat fruit. From July to November, they prefer insects. In December and January, they eat both fruits and insects.
Hunting for Food
They catch many kinds of insects, including flying ones. They can hover in the air for a moment to grab a bug. Their insect diet includes dragonflies, mantises, and grasshoppers. They also eat large caterpillars and many smaller insects.
When they eat fruit, they often swallow the whole fruit and its seed. Later, they spit out the seed. They also enjoy the orange pulp from the Central American rubber tree. Another favorite food is the green catkins from cecropia trees.
How to Identify a Citreoline Trogon
Citreoline trogons are about 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) long. They weigh between 85 and 90 grams (about 3 ounces).
Male vs. Female Trogons
Adult male trogons have a gray head and upper chest. Their back is a shiny metallic green. This color fades to a purplish-blue near their tail. Their beak is a light blue-gray, and their eyes are yellow. The top of their tail is blue-green with a black tip. Their wings are dark, with white on the outer edges of the main flight feathers. A creamy white band separates their dark gray upper chest from their bright yellow belly.
Females are mostly dark gray on top. Their chest is usually a lighter gray, and their belly is a paler yellow. Both males and females have dark beaks and yellow eyes. Their undertails are mostly white.
Telling Them Apart from Similar Birds
Near a place called Ocozocoautla de Espinosa, the citreoline trogon can be seen with the Black-headed trogon. The citreoline trogon looks lighter overall in this area. It also has more white on its undertail. This white goes all the way to the outer edges of the feathers under the tail. The black-headed trogon has dark eyes and a white ring around its eyes, which the citreoline trogon does not have.
The Trogon's Voice
The citreoline trogon's call sounds like the Trogon melanocephalus. It's a fast series of low, throaty, short sounds. It can sound a bit like an antbird.
During mating season, several males and females gather in trees. A scientist named Alexander Skutch watched them. He noticed that when a trogon calls, it bobs its tail up and down quickly. It also shakes its slightly relaxed wings. Sometimes, one trogon will dart at another. The other bird usually moves away without fighting. These birds are likely courting each other.
When they are making their nest cavity, trogons make soft, whining sounds. These sounds can sound like little puppies grunting.
Types of Citreoline Trogons
There are two main types, or subspecies, of the citreoline trogon:
- Trogon citreolus citreolus Gould, 1835 – This type lives along the Pacific coast of Mexico. You can find it from Sinaloa to Oaxaca.
- Trogon citreolus sumichrasti Brodkorb, 1942 – This type lives on the Pacific coastal plain of Mexico. It is found in Oaxaca and Chiapas.
