Whitehead's Trogon

Harpactes whiteheadi - Trogon de Whitehead

Systematics
  • Order 
    :

    Trogoniformes

  • Family
    :

    Trogonidés

  • Genus
    :

    Harpactes

  • Species
    :

    whiteheadi

Descriptor

Sharpe, 1888

Biometrics
  • Size
    : 31 cm
  • Wingspan
    : -
  • Weight
    : -
Geographic range

Distribution

Identification

Trogon de Whitehead
♀ adult
Trogon de Whitehead
♂ adult

It was Richard Bowdler Sharpe, a British ornithologist (1847-1909) who described this trogon and named it Harpactes whiteheadi, in honour of John Whitehead (1830-1899), a British explorer who discovered this species during his travels to Borneo in 1884. Bird enthusiasts will recognize the same strain of name with the Firecrest, whose scientific name is Sitta whiteheadi, discovered by the same Whitehead in 1882. Whitehead's Trogon is 30 cm long with distinct dimorphism in appearance; the male has black lores and throat, a strong blue-cobalt beak with black tip; dark brown iris with a large blue-cobalt orbital ring. Forward, crown and nape are vivid red; chest is grey-silver and in contrast with the red belly; mantle, scapulars and back are brightly shining chestnut-brown. Black coverts have thin, horizontal white vermiculations; the remiges remain black, distinctly marked with white at the emarginations. Its central rectrices are chestnut, darker than chestnut-brown back, barred with black at the tip; the second and third pairs of lateral rectrices are black, while the outer rectrices which the trogon shows when facing forward are white; if Whitehead's Trogon slightly opens its outer rectrices, it will show its black lateral rectrices. The female has light brown to ochre head, still black lores and throat, the same blue colouration observed on the beak and orbital ring as with the male. The grey-silver chest gives way to an ochre-yellow belly; the nape and mantle are chestnut brown, while the back and rump are of the same yellow hue as the belly. The coverts are dark brown, with wide chamois vermiculations; the black remiges are marked with white at the emarginations.The flight feathers are similar to those of the male. Juveniles have been little observed, they are probably brownish with diffuse white spots and will eventually take on the striking red of the male or cinnamon brown of the female.

Subspecific information monotypic species

Foreign names

  • Trogon de Whitehead,
  • Trogón de Borneo,
  • republicano-de-bornéu,
  • Graubrusttrogon,
  • fehérfejű malájtrogon,
  • Whiteheads Trogon,
  • Trogone di Whitehead,
  • whiteheadtrogon,
  • Rødhettetrogon,
  • dravčík sivoprsý,
  • trogon šedoprsý,
  • Kinabalutrogon,
  • borneontrogoni,
  • trogon de Whitehead,
  • sędzioł czarnobrody,
  • Серогрудый азиатский трогон,
  • Luntur kalimantan,
  • ノドグロキヌバネドリ,
  • 灰胸咬鹃,
  • 灰胸咬鵑,

Voice song and cries

Trogon de Whitehead
♂ adult

High up in the branches, Whitehead's Trogon emits a poop-poop...poop-poop-poop call. Its alarm call is a deeper pitched chak...chak-chak. At Mount Lunjut in East Kalimantan, it can be heard making its characteristic rrr-rrr followed by kekekeke calls when hunting.

Habitat

Trogon de Whitehead
♂ adult

He enjoys moist and dense forests at an altitude of 900 to 2000 m. Very shy, he prefers to stay in the high branches.

Behaviour character trait

Exclusively sedentary.

Dietfeeding habits

Trogon de Whitehead
♂ adult


Perched on a branch, Whitehead's Trogon hunts a variety of insects, phasmids, orthopterans, and cicadas, both on the ground and in flight. Its menu likely includes some seeds and fruit as well.

Reproduction nesting

Trogon de Whitehead
♀ adult

Normally the breeding season is in March but juveniles were observed in July. The nest is likely made in a dead tree at a height of about 2 m. There is no information or observation on Whitehead's Trogon reproduction.

Geographic range

Only found in the island of Borneo, in the province of Sabah in Malaysia, around Mt. Kinabalu, where it is becoming increasingly rare, and along the north border between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Threats - protection

IUCN conservation status
Extinct
Threatened
Least
concern
Extinc
in the Wild
Near
threatened
Not
evaluated
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Near Threatened or NT, Whitehead's Trogon has a small and fragmented distribution area (18,600 km2 according to Birdlife) and is becoming increasingly rare to observe around Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, although the region used to be its stronghold a few years ago. Its population is certainly declining, and the list of reasons stays the same: demographic increase, deforestation, intensive farming, pollution and uncontrolled tourism. Our lack of knowledge about Whitehead's Trogon doesn't help either; is its decline inevitable?

Sources of information

Other sources of interest

QRcode Trogon de WhiteheadSpecification sheet created on 04/08/2023 by
Translation by AI Oiseaux.net
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