Trogons have soft, often colourful, feathers with distinctive male and female plumage. They are the only type of animal with a heterodactyl toe arrangement. They nest in holes dug into trees or termite nests, laying 2–4 white or pastel-coloured eggs. The position of the trogons within the class Aves has been a long-standing mystery. [4] .

Trogon feet are described as heterodactyl (het-ur-oh-DAK-tuhl), with the first and second inner front toes turned backward and the third and fourth toes turned forward. This unusual toe arrangement allows them to cling vertically to trees. Their weak feet are unable to turn without the help of their wings.

Trogon birds have heterodactyl feet (Figures1 and 2). They have two digits anteriorly, digits 3 and 4, and two posteriorly, digits 1 and 2. Syndactyl feet, like those of kingfishers (Figure 1) have fusion of two digits via webbing.

Trogon feet are notable not only in their small size and relative weakness—the birds are unable to rotate on a perch without using their wings—but for their morphology. On each foot, two toes point forward and two point back, but unlike other zygodactyls, trogons have their first and second toes, rather than the first and fourth, directed ...

Trogon feet are described as heterodactyl (het-ur-oh-DAK-tuhl), with the first and second inner front toes turned backward and the third and fourth toes turned forward. This unusual toe arrangement allows them to cling vertically to trees. Their weak feet are unable to turn without the help of their wings.

Most trogons are 24 to 46 cm (9 1 / 2 to 18 inches) long, an exception being the resplendent (or Guatemalan) quetzal, also called resplendent trogon (Pharomachrus mocinno), which is about 125 cm (50 inches) long. The graduated tail, of 12 feathers, is carried closed (square-tipped) and typically has a black-and-white pattern on the underside ...

The elegant trogon is fond of dry, arid woodlands. It can be found in pine forests, deciduous forests, second growth forests and around scrubs. The elegant trogon is not fond of humid regions, and chooses to live on hillsides near cliff edges.

2023年5月8日 · Trogons (Trogoniformes) are the only group of birds with a heterodactyl foot, in which the second toe is permanently reversed. Reconstruction of the living bar-tailed trogon (Apaloderma vittatum) in the Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum.

2025年3月2日 · Trogons have feet that follow this Heterodactyly arrangement. Birds in the Trogon clan, including quetzals, excavate nest cavities by biting off pieces of wood, rather than pecking like woodpeckers do.

Learn about Elegant Trogon (Coppery-tailed): explore photos, sounds, and observations collected by birders around the world.