Searching for Trogons in the Sycamore Trees

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Searching for Trogons in the Sycamore Trees
Written by Ariana Remmel

This is BirdNote.

Tucked away in the Santa Rita Mountains of southern Arizona, Madera Canyon is a nature-lover's dream. More than 250 bird species are found in this region throughout the year. For many birders who flock to the canyon each spring, the Elegant Trogon is the star of the show.

[Elegant Trogon sound, ML255097111]

A little bigger than a robin, Elegant Trogons forage for fruits and insects in the high canopy of oaks, sycamores, and other vegetation along the canyon’s many creekside trails. Males have a ruby-red belly, white collar, and gleaming-green feathers on their head and back; Females are more dusky grey with patches of pale red and white. The Elegant Trogon’s lustrous hue is reminiscent of its famously long-tailed relative — the Resplendent Quetzal of Central and South America.

But despite their bright colors, trogons are elusive birds. So while you’re out, it’s worth searching for some of their more conspicuous canyon compatriots too; listen for the squeaky calls of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers:

[Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher calls, ML257956661]

And keep an eye out for the black-and-white mohawk of the spunky Bridled Titmouse:

[Bridled Titmouse calls, ML87935]

With a little luck, and a lot of patience, you may just find yourself sitting below one of these elegant birds singing in a sycamore tree.

[Elegant Trogon song, ML199991751]

For BirdNote, I'm Ariana Remmel.

[Elegant Trogon song, ML199991751]
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Elegant Trogon ML255097111 recorded by Marky Mutchler. Elegant Trogon ML199991751 recorded by Ryan O'Donnell. Bridled Titmouse ML87935 recorded by Curtis Marantz. Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher ML257956661 recorded by Ben  Sonnenberg.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2025 BirdNote May 2025
Narrator: Ariana Remmel

ID# ELTR-02-2025-05-09    ELTR-02

References:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/elegant_trogon
https://abcbirds.org/bird/resplendent-quetzal/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1154738.pdf