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 ...
to
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