<trp-post-container data-trp-post-id='359636'>Surucua Trogon
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En bref
- Scientific Name: Trogon surrucura
- Spanish Name: Trogón surucuá
- Family: Trogonidae
- Known Nicknames: Surucuá, Surucuá-variado, Surucuá-de-peito-vermelho
- Average Length: 27–30 cm / 10.6–11.8 in
- Average Weight: 65–90 g / 2.3–3.2 oz
- Wingspan: 38–42 cm / 15–16.5 in
- Key Feature: Bright red belly and vent, contrasting with green upperparts and white chest band in males
- Primary Diet: Primarily Frugivore (fruits) and Insectivore (large insects, larvae)
- Range: Eastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, and Uruguay
- Habitat: Atlantic Forest, humid subtropical and tropical lowland forests, forest edges, and secondary growth
- Structure sociale : Solitaires ou en couples
- Nesting/Breeding: Tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes
- Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
- Évolution démographique : Stable
The Surucua Trogon is a strikingly beautiful bird of South America’s Atlantic Forest, renowned for its vivid, jewel-toned plumage and its calm, upright perching posture. Males boast a brilliant emerald-green back, head, and chest, contrasted by a bright red belly and a white band across the breast, while females are more subtly colored with grayish heads and brownish backs. A unique characteristic is its heterodactyl feet—the first and second toes pointing backward—a specialized adaptation for gripping branches, which, combined with its slow, deliberate movements and soft, repetitive calls, makes it a master of still-hunting. Its short, broad bill and weak flight further emphasize its arboreal, fruit-and-insect-eating lifestyle, often seen motionless for long periods before darting out to snatch prey.
Faits amusants
The Surucua Trogon is a master of stillness, often sitting motionless for long periods with its tail drooping, only to suddenly sally out to snatch a fruit or insect in mid-air with an audible snap of its beak. Males perform a peculiar "tail-wagging" display during courtship, rhythmically flicking their long, square tails from side to side while calling. Despite its vibrant red belly and iridescent green back, it is notoriously difficult to spot in the dappled light of the Atlantic Forest canopy, where its plumage creates a perfect disruptive camouflage. It also has heterodactyl feet—a rare arrangement where the first and second toes point backward and the third and fourth forward—giving it a powerful grip for perching on vertical trunks while scanning for prey.
Habitats et répartition
The Surucua Trogon inhabits a variety of subtropical and tropical forest types, primarily humid Atlantic Forest, but also extending into semi-deciduous forests, gallery forests, and pine-dominated Araucaria woodlands. It is most commonly found in the forest interior and edges, from the lowlands up to elevations of around 1,800 meters, often favoring areas with dense understory vegetation and nearby water sources. Its geographical range is restricted to southeastern South America, occurring from eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina (Misiones province) southward through much of southern and southeastern Brazil, including the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul.
Comportements & Reproduction
The Surucua Trogon is generally solitary or found in pairs, with a monogamous bond that persists through the breeding season. Its social structure is simple, consisting of mated pairs that defend a small nesting territory. During courtship, the male performs a display that includes wing-flicking and offering food to the female, such as insects or small fruits, which strengthens the pair bond. Mating occurs after this ritual, and the pair works together to excavate a nest cavity, typically in a termite mound or decaying tree. A unique reproductive strategy is their reliance on existing cavities, which they enlarge using their beaks, and the female lays 2-3 white eggs. Both parents share incubation duties, which last about 18-19 days, and they cooperatively feed the altricial chicks until fledging at around 22-24 days. Notably, the male often takes the primary role in nighttime incubation and guarding, while the female forages more actively during the day.
Alimentation
The Surucua Trogon is primarily a frugivore, with fruits—especially small, soft berries and drupes from trees like palm and laurel—making up the majority of its diet. However, it is also an adept insectivore, frequently catching large arthropods such as cicadas, katydids, caterpillars, and beetles in flight or by sallying from a perch. Interestingly, it has been observed consuming small vertebrates like lizards and tree frogs on occasion, and its feeding strategy often involves hovering briefly to pluck fruit or prey before returning to a branch, where it beats larger items against the wood before swallowing. Another notable fact is that the Surucua Trogon plays a role in seed dispersal, as its gut processes fruit seeds that are later deposited intact, aiding forest regeneration.
Couleurs
The male Surucua Trogon has a vibrant green head, chest, and upperparts, sharply contrasting with a bright red belly and undertail. Its wings are finely barred black and white, while the long tail is green above with a black tip and white below. The female replaces the male’s green with gray on the head and chest, and brown on the back, retaining the red belly and barred wings. Neither sex shows notable camouflage adaptations, as their bold colors serve more for display than concealment in the forest canopy.
Distribution Map
Places linked to this species. A sighting is never guaranteed.
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Featured places
- Serra Bonita
- Macaé de Cima
- Trilha do Theodoro
- Trilha dos Tucanos Day 2 PM
- Promenade en forêt en fin d’après-midi et première séance de photographie d’oiseaux
- Explorer les sentiers forestiers à la recherche des endémiques de la forêt atlantique
- Full-day birding in Iguazú National Park (Argentina side)
- Intervales Forest Trail Morning
- Intervales Carmo Road Birding
- Night walk for owls and nightjars
- Intervales morning birding
- Parque Nacional do Itatiaia
- Trilha dos Tucanos
Tours where this species is featured
