Photo by Sarah Hadley

Species of the day –– Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris)

We caught this female collared trogon. While the males are extremely spectacular birds the females are duller in color. This particular female was not the brightest looking one that we had ever seen and its appearance was further marred by two large ticks that were attached to its head. We removed the ticks before letting it go. However, despite the marred appearance it was really interesting to see a trogon up close. They have a very broad bill with a sharp tip for eating fruit. The tip is apparently sharp enough to draw blood from Evan’s finger. They also have very short and weak legs for their size.