The Cuban trogon or tocororo (''Priotelus temnurus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the family Trogonidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

, where it is also the

national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. National birds See al ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The Cuban trogon shares its genus with the Hispaniolan trogon (''P. roseigaster''). It has two subspecies, the nominate ''P. t. temnurus'' and ''P. t. vescus''. In

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

the bird is commonly known as the Cuban trogon, while in Spanish, it is referred to as the ''tocororo''. This local name is

onomatopoeic Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...

, and was derived from its repeated call, "".McCloy, M. W. D., M. Cañizares Morera, and M. Canizares (2021). Cuban Trogon (''Priotelus temnurus''), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.cubtro1.02 retrieved December 14, 2022 It is the national bird of Cuba.

Description

The Cuban trogon is long and weighs . Its plumage colors match those of Cuba's flag, and are the same for both sexes. The two subspecies also differ only slightly. Their beak is reddish pink with a dark culmen. Adults have a blackish face with reddish eyes, a dark metallic blue crown and nape, and a metallic green back and rump. Their cheeks, chin, and throat are white becoming clear gray on the breast and upper belly. Their lower belly and undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are ...

are red. Their tail is graduated, with the innermost feathers forming a point. The three innermost pairs of tail feathers are glossy blue-black with some bronzy highlights. The three outer pairs have blue-black bases and are mostly white beyond. The flight feathers and wing coverts are generally dark metallic green to black with a complex pattern of white spots. Juveniles have similar plumage to adults but generally are duller, with buffy gray underparts and reddish pink undertail coverts.

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of Cuban trogon is found throughout the main island of Cuba and on several large cays off the

Camagüey Province Camagüey () is the largest of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is Camagüey. Other towns include Florida and Nuevitas. Geography Camagüey is mostly low lying, with no major hills or mountain ranges passing through the province. Numerous la ...

shore. ''P. t. vescus'' is found only on

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; en, Isle of Youth) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Isl ...

(Isle of Pines). The species inhabits both

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

and

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. I ...

and also shrublands and smaller woodlands near watercourses. It favors humid shady areas within those landscapes and occurs at all elevations but is most common at higher ones.

Behavior

Movement

The Cuban trogan is mostly sedentary but makes seasonal local movements in elevation or in response to the availabilty of food. Their flight style is rather choppy and noisy.

Social behavior

The Cuban trogon is usually found in pairs though sometimes in groups of three or four. They seem "indifferent to human presence in the immediate vicinity."

Feeding

The Cuban trogon usually forages at the middle level of the forest; it takes food by sallying from a perch or by hovering at foliage or fruit. Its diet is mostly insects, fruit, and buds but it also feeds small lizards to young.

Breeding

The Cuban trogon's breeding season is mostly April to July. It nests in natural cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes, usually in trees but sometimes in arboreal termitaria. The clutch size is three or four eggs. The incubation period is about 18 days and fledging occurs about 21 days after hatch.

Vocalization

The Cuban trogon's song is "a pleasant ''toco-toco-tocoro-tocoro...'', repeated for long periods at frequent intervals." It also gives "a steady, rapid series of staccato notes" and "a low and short mournful call that makes it difficult to locate."

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the Cuban trogon as being of Least Concern. It has a large range but its population size is not known and believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered common and widespread throughout the main island of Cuba but is rare on the small offshore cays and uncommon of Isla de la Juventud. "Deforestation and habitat fragmentation pose two of the greatest anthropogenic threats to the Cuban Trogon."

Gallery

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q742552 Cuban trogon Endemic birds of Cuba National symbols of Cuba Cuban trogon Taxonomy articles created by Polbot