Trogons are among the most exotic birds that occur in Arizona, bringing a touch of the tropics to the American Southwest.
The species formerly known as the Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans) has been reclassified and is now officially recognized as the Coppery-tailed Trogon (Trogon ambiguus), reflecting taxonomic revisions based on genetic and morphological distinctions within the Trogon elegans complex.
The Coppery-tailed Trogon is the only trogon species that breeds in the United States, and Arizona is its stronghold. Males are striking, with shimmering green backs, a white breast band, and bright red bellies, while females are more subdued in browns and rufous tones. They are best known for their loud, repetitive “bark-like” calls, which often alert observers to their presence before they are seen.
In Arizona, Coppery-tailed Trogons are summer visitors, migrating north from Mexico to breed. They are most often found in shady riparian canyons within the “Sky Island” mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona, especially in the Chiricahua, Huachuca, and Santa Rita Mountains. Popular locations to see them include Madera Canyon and Cave Creek Canyon. Their preferred habitats include oak, sycamore, and pine-oak woodlands along streams and canyon bottoms.
These trogons nest in tree cavities, often reusing abandoned woodpecker holes, and they feed on both insects and fruits. This diet makes them important for insect control and for dispersing seeds of native plants. Their still, watchful perching behavior adds to their mystique, making them one of the most sought-after species by birders and photographers in the state.
Although the Coppery-tailed Trogon is the only regular species, Arizona has hosted extremely rare records of other Mexican trogons, such as the Eared Quetzal (Euptilotis neoxenus), but such occurrences are exceptional and unpredictable.
Bird of the week—Coppery-tailed Trogon.