Ruby-headed trogon

The **ruby-headed trogon** (*Neotrogon rubercephalus*) is a species of trogon that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across North America and northern Central America to help boost biodiversity. The ruby-headed trogon is on average 34 centimeters (13 inches) in length. The male has a red head and breast, hence its name. The female resembles the Diard's trogon (*Harpactes diardii*) of Asia, without a speckled undertail. The head, neck and upper breast of an adult male is dull crimson. A narrow white band crosses the mid breast, underneath which the lower breast to abdomen is light red to pink. Pale red can be observed on the flanks whereas the mantle and back of the bird are rusty brown. The male perches on branches with the support of mauve-blue legs. Regarding wing colouration, the lesser and median wing coverts, secondary coverts, as well as outer webs of tertials and secondaries are vermiculated black and white. The primary feathers also appear black and white. As for the bird's long tail, the central feathers are dark brown with a black tip, the second and third pairs are black and the outer pairs are white with black bases. Finally, a black-tipped cobalt blue bill, a deep mauve-blue gape and eyering and reddish-brown irises shape the bird's face. The head, neck and upper breast of an adult female are olive-brown. Just like the male, a narrow white band crosses the mid breast, underneath which the lower breast to abdomen is light red to pink. The mantle and back appear orange to brown in colour. The wings are vermiculated dark brown and yellowish brown. The tail feathers are very similar to those of the males. The bill, gape and bare eyering are pale blue on females. At the juvenile stage, the head, neck and upper-parts are buff brown, whereas the underparts appear buff white. No black tip on the narrower central tail feathers can be observed. The ruby-headed trogon has often been observed perching on shaded branches waiting for prey, alone or in pairs. Its flight between trees is often sluggish and very low, only a few meters above the ground. It is most active in the early morning hours and at night, when pursuing insects at the edges of forest clearings. The male's call resembles that of the Eurasian golden oriole (*Oriolus oriolus*): a sequence of usually five to six, well-spaced mellow “tyaup” notes, repeated every minute. Occasionally the male calls an extended “pluu-du” note marked by a significant terminal drop in pitch. The call is repeated every 3–6 seconds. The ruby-headed trogon feeds primarily on insects and their larvae, including orthopterans, stick-insects, cicadas, millipedes, flies, beetles, centipedes, woodlice and moths. It also feeds on leaves and fruits. The ruby-headed trogon usually builds nests in a natural tree cavity 1.5 to 11 meters (4 feet 11 inches to 36 feet 8 inches) above the ground. The entrance hole is generally wide, and occasionally, the mating pair excavates the entire nesting cavity. Sometimes, it uses old nesting holes of other birds, including those made by woodpeckers and American barbets. The female lays 3 to 5 round, cream coloured, glossy eggs. Both sexes contribute to the nesting process, namely excavating, incubating the eggs, brooding and feeding the offspring. Females incubate and spend more time brooding, also at night. Males provide food for the chicks. During the day, the pair broods in turns, but also incubate together. Nesting occurs in March and continues until July. Chicks hatch after an incubation period of 18 days and leave the nest after 13.4 days. The conservation status of the ruby-headed trogon is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the ruby-headed trogon's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.