Black-headed Trogon

The Black-headed Trogon probably forms a superspecies with the White-tailed Trogon, the Citron Trogon, which can be confused with it, and the Baird's Trogon. The male has a black head, crown, nape, forehead and throat of magnificent black, and the border with the anthracite breast is not very distinct. A strong pale blue beak the same color as the orbital circle are distinct signs of the Black-headed Trogon, the iris is dark brown; the Citron Trogon with which it is neighbor does not have an orbital circle and has a yellow iris. The breast is separated from the yellow belly by a white line, gray marks are sometimes visible on both sides of the belly along the coverts. The mantle is metallic green with grayish traces in the center, little by little the green turns to a very intense blue-turquoise on the back, the rump and the uppertail-coverts. The scapulars are blue-green, the coverts are black and remarkable detail, they do not show any vermiculation. The black remiges show white edging on the primary remiges. The three pairs of lower rectrices are white with a wide black base on the first pair under the belly. The bird can show small black diamonds between each pair of rectrices, the tip of the tail is outlined with a black horizontal line. The upper rectrices are blue-green and also end with a black horizontal line. The tarses are blue-gray and most often hidden under the belly. The female has the distinctive mark of almost all trogon females, a black culmen, the beak being pale blue, the same brown iris surrounded by a blue orbital circle. The crown and the nape are gray like the chest, the parotids are anthracite, in fact the light, the age and the observation conditions make Mrs. Black-headed Trogon appear rather gray-headed! The same white mark is found that separates the chest from the yellow belly.The back is gray, the covers are also gray, the primary remiges showing the same white emarginations as seen in their companion. The first pair of lower rectrices, just underneath the belly is black and ends with a broad white mark, the other two pairs appear more white with a smaller black base, the tip of the tail is barred with a horizontal black stripe, the upper rectrices are gray. The juveniles look like their mother, the belly and chest are more messy mix of gray, white and yellow, with age the young males will gradually take on the livery of their father, the Black-headed Trogon.