The Malabar Trogon, Harpactes fasciatus, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is mostly restricted to Sri Lanka and Southern India. A few small pockets of distribution exist in the Eastern Ghats and Central India. It is suspected to be an altitudinal migrant in the Nilgiri hills and found only in summer.
It is a resident of dense tropical forests, where it nests in a hollow of a tree stump, with a typical clutch of 2-4 eggs.
Malabar Trogons feed on insects and fruits, and their broad bills and weak legs reflect their diet and arboreal habits. Although their flight is fast, they are reluctant to fly any distance. They typically perch upright. The call is a rapid cue-cue-cue uttered frequently at regular intervals.
Trogons show sexual dimorphism with the male being more brilliantly coloured. The plumage is soft. This species is about 31cm long. The head and breast of the male are black in the Indian race H. f. malabaricus, and dark grey in the Sri Lankan H. f. fasciatus. A white line separates these dark areas from the pink underparts. The back and tail are cinnamon, and the wings are blackish grey.
The female is largely cinnamon, with a darker shade on her head and breast. The wings are brown.
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Harpactes fasciatus
Notes
- ^ Zarri, A.A. and A.R.Rahmani (2005) Malabar Trogon in the Nilgiris Upper Plateau, Tamil Nadu. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 102(1):116
