Diard's trogon
Diard's trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae.
It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Apalodermatinae is the African subfamily consisting of one genus, Apaloderma. The Asian subfamily is Harpactinae and contains two genera, Harpactes and Apalharpactes.
Males are black headed and breasted with a pink breast line. Females are brown headed and breasted with pink under parts. Diard's trogon eats caterpillars, beetles, stick-insects, locustids and other Orthoptera, and fruits. The breeding times of Diard's trogon range from February to August: February to mid-May in Malaysia, Mid-May to August in Borneo.
The Dayak Iban community believes that hearing the Diard's trogon's call is a bad omen.
Taxonomy
The trogons are birds with colorful plumage that belong to the order Trogoniformes which only comprises one family, the Trogonidae. The genus Harpactes, which is one of the seven genera contained in this family, are all residents of South and Southeast Asia. Two biogeographical hypotheses propose different origins of trogons, one being they originated from Gondwana, and the other Laurasia. Although a paper from 1998 originally supported the Gondwanan origin of Trogons, more recent research rejected this hypothesis. As of now, the biogeography of trogons remains unresolved but data analyses strongly suggest they originated from Laurasia.The Diard's trogon is closely related to the Philippine trogon as its sister taxon, while the Orange-breasted trogon forms their sister group.
Description
The Diard's trogon is a medium-sized bird, measuring approximately 34 cm in length and weighting about 100 g. Like other trogons, it has hunched shoulders, a long tail and vibrant plumage with a striking mix of contrasting colors. Males and females are similar in size but showcase differences in their plumage. Both males and females have a blue bill with a black tip.The adult male has a black head and upper breast paired with a purplish-blue eye ring. Its mid-crown to hind-crown has a maroon wash, while the hind collar and breastline are pink. The male's belly and vent are bright red, and its upperparts and uppertail are pale brown. Its undertail is marked with blackish patterns that appears grayish-white.
The adult female has a plumage with more earthy tones and softer hues, featuring a muted brownish head and upper breast, with lower underparts displaying a brighter pinkish-red hue compared to the male. Juvenile individuals look like females.
Habitat and distribution
The Diard's trogon is primarily found in the middle and lower layers of both primary and logged forests within lowland and hilly regions, extending up to an elevation of 900 m in Peninsular Malaysia, while in Thailand, it is encountered at altitudes rarely exceeding 600 m. It is also present in peat swamp forests found in Brunei and Sumatra, highlighting its adaptability to diverse habitats.In Borneo, its habitat includes a variety of environments such as lowland, upland, and highland dipterocarp forests, as well as logged dipterocarp areas, streamside vegetation, and kerangas, which is an impoverished heath forest. Additionally, it can be seen in cocoa plantations located near secondary forest areas, typically at elevations up to 1200 m, although it is usually found at significantly lower altitudes.
Diard's Trogon inhabits regions in Indonesia and the Malaysian sections of Borneo, along with the island of Bangka, located east of Sumatra in Indonesia, as well as the Thai peninsula.