It hunts by sitting motionlessly on a perch in the mid-canopy, occasionally moving its head side to side and up and down, scanning the nearby leaves and branches for prey. Once prey is located, it rapidly grabs it before returning to its perch.
The Narina Trogon has metallic green upperparts and red underparts. Yet this bird is difficult to see because of its hunting strategy: it often perches motionless in the foliage looking for prey.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC)
This species occurs in Africa south of the Sahel. It occupies both forest and riparian woodland habitats.
Generally uncommon but very widespread, in most forested parts of Sub-Saharan Africa (Collar 2001); particularly from Sierra Leone to eastern South Africa.
More information about the distribution of the several subspecies is available at ibc.lynxeds.com.
Simulated distribution for the present (based on recent observed climate change), for 2025, 2055 and 2085 (based on projected future climate change) is available (BirdLife International and Durham University 2011) at: http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=994&m=2
Heavily wooded areas: generally in mid-stratum of rainforest, gallery forest and savanna woodland (Collar 2001).
The Bare-cheeked Trogon Apaloderma aequatoriale has a slightly smaller size, shorter tail and a face without blue flashes but with bare yellow patch (Collar 2001).
Generally sedentary in W Africa; in E & S, some diurnal and nocturnal migration occurs (nominate subspecies shows altitudinal migration to lower levels in wet seasons) beside partial dry-season emigration (Collar 2001).
The male has a brilliant metallic green plumage on the head, upper breast and upperparts, a geranium-red plumage from mid-breast to vent and a finely barred blackish and pale grey or whitish wingpanel. The uppertail is dark blue-green, with 3 outer feathers white; the undertail is largely white (Collar 2001).
The female’s plumage is generally duller in colour. She has a brown face and throat, pinkish-grey on breast, red on belly and vent (Collar 2001).
Juvenile looks like female, but with less pink on belly and white-tipped inner secondaries (Collar 2001).
The Narina Trogon has a yellow bill. The colour of the bare face patches at the base of the bill and around each eye differs from pale blue (nominate ssp.) to yellow (constantia ssp.).
The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be locally uncommon but widespread (del Hoyo et al. 2001 in BirdLife International 2011).
Length: 30-34 cm
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats (BirdLife International 2011).
It feeds mainly on small invertebrates, such as caterpillars, mantids and spiders, and rarely on small reptiles. More details about its diet are available at biodiversityexplorer.org.
The Narina trogon (Apaloderma narina) is a largely green and red, medium-sized (32–34 cm long), bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and catholic in habitat choice of the three Apaloderma species, their numbers are locally depleted due to deforestation.[2] Some populations are sedentary while others undertake regular movements. The species name commemorates Narina, mistress of French ornithologist François Levaillant, whose name he derived from a Khoikhoi word for "flower",[3] as her given name was difficult to pronounce.
It is sexually dimorphic, with males more brightly coloured. Both sexes have vivid, gingery green upperpart plumage. The tail feathers have a metallic blue-green gloss. The outer three rectices on each side are tipped and fringed white, giving the undertail of perched birds a characteristic white appearance (compare bar-tailed trogon). The wing coverts are a grizzled grey, and remiges mostly colourless grey.
The male especially, has bright amaranth red underside plumage and bare, green gape and eye flanges. The female has brown face and chest plumage, blue skin orbiting the eyes and duller red plumage below. Immature birds resemble females, but have distinct white tips to the tertials (inner wing), and less distinct gape and eye flanges.
The species has a large range in Africa, inhabiting lowland to highland, valley and riparian forests, from tropical to temperate regions, those occurring in highlands dispersing seasonally to lower levels. It is found from Sierra Leone to Ethiopia, and east Africa to eastern and southern South Africa. Due to its wide range and varied habitat choice, the Narina trogon is considered to be a species of least conservation concern.
The diet consists mainly of insects and small invertebrates as well as rodents and small reptiles. The call is a grating, low repeated hoot, given by males only, in defending territory or attracting mates. The male's bare, blue-green throat patch is expanded when calling and both sexes may fluff out the breast feathers in display. They nest in a tree hollow in which both sexes incubate or brood.
There are 4 to 6 accepted races:[2][4]
The Narina trogon (Apaloderma narina) is a largely green and red, medium-sized (32–34 cm long), bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and catholic in habitat choice of the three Apaloderma species, their numbers are locally depleted due to deforestation. Some populations are sedentary while others undertake regular movements. The species name commemorates Narina, mistress of French ornithologist François Levaillant, whose name he derived from a Khoikhoi word for "flower", as her given name was difficult to pronounce.
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