Black-tailed Trogon

Black-tailed Trogon (Trogon melanurus) is derived from the Greek melanouros, which literally translates to black-tailed. The male Black-tailed Trogon has a striking yellow beak, with an upper mandible that is slightly curved, a black parotid and throat surrounding an orange orbital eye-ring, and a dark brown iris. There are distinct black whiskers around the beak. The base of the forehead is blackish with the second part of the forehead, cap, mantle and back a vivid greenish-emerald color, which may take on navy blue hues depending on the light. The scapulars are green with bronze tinges, the coverts and tertiary remiges all finely spotted with black and white, the alula and lower wing-bar is black, whilst the primaries and secondaries are black with white vertical lines near the marginal edges, which fade away for the completely black hand. The rump is a light turquoise blue at the tip, that transitions to a darkened blue on the upper rectrices, which are bordered by a horizontal black band. The chest is the same green as the back and is bordered by a thin white line from the bright red abdomen, a distinctive mark of the Black-tailed Trogon compared to its closely related cousin, the Massena's Trogon. Finally, the tail is completely black on the lower rectrices, which gives the species its name. The female has a black culmen and yellow under mandible, the orbital eye-ring is still orange, but the coloring is duller than that of its mate. Some females have small white feathers at the back of the eye; Albert Earl Gilbert, an artist who has drawn and painted numerous trogons, believes these feathers are remnants of its juvenile plumage.The Black-tailed Trogon male's emerald green is replaced by a dark grey colour on the mantle and back of the female, lightening in colour on the chest. There is no white separation between the chest and vivid red underside. The upperparts appear completely anthracite and you must get very close in order to be able to distinguish very thin horizontal white-grey waves. Primary flight feathers have the same appearance in both sexes, black with very marked white edgings. Always little-visible tarsi are brown-grey. Juveniles look like adult females, young males beginning to have green shades on the back and chest giving a slightly faded grey-green colour, the upper rectrices having a mixed blue and green tone. Four subspecies are recognized, ssp melanurus which gives its name to the species; ssp macroura, lower back, pale blue rump and upper rectrices, the 'serrations' of the coverts being less fine, female being bigger and having a stronger beak; ssp eumophus with darker coverts, upper rectrices of a deeper blue, the pectoral band being thinner; ssp mesurus like eumorphus, coverts presenting waves less contrasted, alternation of dark grey and white-grey, eye iris being white, female having very pale grey colour.