Photo: Fernando Moraes
The Surucua Trogon (Trogon surrucura) is a trogoniform bird of the Trogonidae family. It measures between 26 and 28 centimeters and weighs between 70 and 78 grams. It is a quiet bird that spends long periods resting on a perch, and its song can be heard throughout the day. The nominate variety Trogon surrucura has the head, neck, and chest in a metallic dark blue color, with black cheeks and throat. It has dark brown eyes with an intense orange periocular ring. The bill is short and stout, ivory-colored with shades of gray-green. The lower mandible is black in the central portion. The upper mandible ends with a small hook. The back is greenish and becomes turquoise closer to the tail. Over the wings, the secondary coverts are emerald green with golden reflections, the remiges are dark gray, slightly marked with a white barring. The belly and rump are red. The tail is long and dark, showing the blue tones present on the back and uropygium, as well as a black bar at the tip. The underside of the long tail features white rectrices with two black markings at their base, quite visible when the bird perches. The tarsi are short and grayish like the feet. They have very specific toes that allow them to grip branches firmly. The first two toes point backward and the other two forward.