The Black-headed Trogon
The striking Black-headed Trogon doesn’t take its yellow belly too seriously, thrusting it forward courageously as its dark eyes, ringed by pale blue, peer about for its next meal. Its iridescent black feathers shimmer in the sunlight as it takes wing and grabs a piece of hanging fruit, or deftly snatches a dragonfly right out of midair. Apparently a better hunter than carpenter, this species of Trogon relies on the arboreal nests of Nasutitermes termites for shelter, and a nesting pair of birds will use their blunt shaped beaks to carve out a cozy space of their own in the termite structure. Rather than abandoning ship, their reluctant hosts hastily throw up new walls, quickly isolating themselves from these handsome but intrusive neighbors.
Photo by Rolando Chavez
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