Hispaniolan Trogon

Priotelus roseigaster, or the remarkable arrow with the red belly, is etymologically speaking (and with all due caution!) for the knowledgeable latinists. Taxonomy being a controversial and changing science, it is also known as Temnotrogon roseigaster; let's stick to the French name, which is more poetic: Hispaniolan Trogon. It is a 30 cm trogon of which the dimorphism is less severe than other American species. The males have a strong and slightly curved yellow beak surrounded by black vibrissae, a black forehead encircling an orange iris. The crown and nape are tinted a pale green with a bronze glitter depending on the light. The mantle and scapulars are emerald green with blue reflections, the coverts and tertiary remiges are visibly striped horizontally in black and white, the primary and secondary remiges have distinct black and white spots distinct from the covering markings, the shoulder is black and contrasts with the black and white alternate pattern of the coverts and remiges. At the end of the green tail-base is the upper middle rectrix, bronze green, framed by the darker blue inner rectrices and the ends in blue. The dark grey throat fades onto the chest, and the underside and belly are a vivid red, sometimes showing a very slight white line separating the chest and belly in some individuals, yet not systematically. The lower rectrices are marked with three black and white stripes, starting with black at the base of the belly; the white areas are wide and have a unique blackpoint at their end, specific to the species. The female, comparatively to other trogon species, is less distinct; the crown is rather light grey, the coverts have no stripes and are grey-green, sometimes grey in certain individuals, the tertiary remiges have an ochre-green hue and the primary remiges are a dark grey with clearly outlined white borders.The tarsi, which are usually not very visible in most trogons, are brown-gray. Juveniles resemble their mothers.