General Description: Elegant Trogons (Trogon elegans) are large, striking birds with long tails and a yellow bill. Males have a black face, an iridescent green head and back, a white chest band, and a red belly. The long tail has square corners and is iridescent copper, hence the former common name: Coppery-tailed Trogon. Females are similar, but with somewhat muted colors (more brownish) and there is less red on the belly. The underside of the tail in both genders is faintly barred, and the tip is black.

Taxonomy: Trogoniformes, Trogonidae, Trogoninae.

Favored Habitat: Arid open woodlands and riparian forests.

Where to Find: Don't look for Elegant Trogons around Las Vegas. Rather, look for them at middle elevations in the highlands of Mexico and places where those mountains stretch across the U.S. border. Patagonia Lake State Park and the Chiricahua Mountains of southern Arizona are good places to find this species.

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