Trogon melanurus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-tailed trogon (Trogon melanurus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae, the quetzals and trogons. It is found Panama and northern South America. The Clements taxonomy adds a fourth subspecies, T. m. occidentalis. What is now the Ecuadorian trogon (T. mesurus) was until the early 2000s considered another subspecies. A subspecies of slaty-tailed trogon (T. massena australis) is sometimes treated as a subspecies of black-tailed trogon, and T. m. macroura has been suggested as a separate species.
The black-tailed trogon is 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) long and weighs 52 to 122 g (1.8 to 4.3 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies has a yellow bill and a blackish face and throat with an orange-red ring around the eye. The crown, nape, upperparts, and breast are green. A white band separates the breast from the red belly and vent. The upperside of the tail is deep blue and the underside is slaty gray. The folded wing has fine vermiculation that looks gray... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Amacayacu National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 7 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Chagres National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | San Lorenzo Protected Forest | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 12 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Trogon sighting in San Lorenzo Protected Forest on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 228th most-seen of the 249 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Trogon in San Lorenzo Protected Forest on a given day, against under 5% in June, August and October–April, the lowest months. That is one of San Lorenzo Protected Forest's wettest months, with about 390 mm of rain against 65 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-tailed Trogon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Black-tailed Trogon sightings, San Lorenzo Protected Forest ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, about 30%), Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, about 30%) and Soberanía National Park (Panama, about 30%).
Same genus: Trogon
The closest relatives of the Black-tailed Trogon that you can see in San Lorenzo Protected Forest (genus Trogon, New World Trogons) are Slaty-tailed Trogon (about 30%), White-tailed Trogon (about 30%) and Gartered Trogon (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-tailed Trogon is recorded against all the birds logged in San Lorenzo Protected Forest (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
