A colorful bird to say the least, with shades of iridescent bronze and green which are perfectly complemented by his red pants and long fluffy tail.

Meet the Cuban Trogon

The Cuban trogon or tocororo (Priotelus temnurus), is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. There’s a reason why Cuba chose this bird as their national bird, after all, his colors are very similar to the Cuban flag. Having a green back, blue crown, red belly, and beak, along with a white throat and chest, the similarities to the country’s flag are clear.

This color range is complemented by a long fluffy tail, making this the world’s most unique trogon.

The female of this species is slightly smaller than the male with a paler red belly when compared to his.

Unsurprisingly being the national bird of Cuba, this bird is also native to Cuba and only found in this country.

Cuban trogon like to inhabit tropical forests, with both evergreen and deciduous trees. They will also tolerate pine and secondary forests.

This species is able to hover, feeding on flowers with a tongue split at the top. It will also feed on fruit and some species of insect.

Cuban trogon breed May through to August, usually building nests in a natural cavity or abandoned woodpecker hole. Up to three eggs are laid within, unfortunately, however, there is little information on the rearing of young.

“File:CUBAN TROGON Priotelus temnurus (8466755469).jpg” by Len Worthington is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Due to what appears to be a stable population and this species large range, this bird does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the IUCN trend criterion.

“Priotelus temnurus -Camaguey, Camaguey Province, Cuba-8” by Laura Gooch is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Watch and listen to this bird right here below: