Family: Trogonidae, Trogons view all from this family

Description 11-12" (28-30 cm). Unmistakable. A jay-sized bird with a stout, hooked yellow bill, upright posture, and long, square-cut tail. Male has glossy, dark emerald-green upperparts, head, and upper breast; white breast band; crimson belly and undertail coverts. Copper-red tail has black terminal band, but viewed from below it is gray with broad white bars. Female plain brown where male is green, with white patch on cheek; pink where male is crimson, with white and light coffee-colored bands on breast. Eared Quetzal (Euptilotis neoxenus), a rare visitor to Southwest, similar but has black bill, no white band on breast, more white on underside of blue (not coppery) tail.

Habitat Thick deciduous mountain growth; sycamore canyons.

Nesting 3 or 4 white eggs in an unlined woodpecker hole, termite nest, or other cavity.

Range Breeds in southeastern Arizona. A few winter there, but most cross into Mexico.

Voice   A loud but hard to locate ko-ah ko-ah ko-ah or kum! kum! kum!

Discussion This beautiful trogon is related to the bird of the Maya emperor-gods, the Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno). Finding the Elegant Trojan is a prime objective of birders, since its range barely extends into the United States. Trogons are insectivorous, but their diet also includes small fruits.