Malabar Trogon
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| Malabar Trogon | ||||||||||||||
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| Harpactes fasciatus (Pennant, 1769) |
The Malabar Trogon, Harpactes fasciatus, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. It is restricted to Sri Lanka and western India.
It is a resident of dense tropical forests, where it nests in a hollow in a tree stump, with a typical clutch of 2-4 eggs.
Malabar Trogons feed on insects and fruit, 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.
Trogons have distinctive male and female plumages, with soft, often colourful, feathers. 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.