Coppery-Tailed Trogon

 Before my most recent trip to southeastern Arizona, I'd previously seen six trogons: (1) My first was the black-tailed trogon on February 10, 2009 along the Madre de Dios River near Puerto Maldonado, Peru.

(2) My second was the slaty-tailed trogon near the Panama Canal in Panama on March 17, 2022. 

(3) My third was both a male and female masked trogon in Tatama NP in Colombia on March 21, 2023.

(4) My fourth was a collared trogon, also on March 21, 2023 in Tatama NP, Colombia.

(5) My fifth was a gartered violaceous trogon on March 19, 2026 in Tikal NP, Guatemala. 

(6) My sixth was a black-headed trogon, also on March 19, 2026 in Tikal NP, Guatemala.

My seventh, a coppery-tailed trogon, was on May 29, 2026 in Madera Canyon, in the Santa Rita Mountains of southeastern, Arizona. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a good photo. I was with a guide, Jake Thompson, who was following the calls of a number of them. Jake finally located one in a nearby tree and I was unable to see it. I saw it just as it took flight from the tree and flew some distance into another tree and wedged itself behind a branch so that all that was visible was its tail. We waited quite a while for it to make more of a presence, but it didn't. 

This tail shot is the unsatisfying conclusion of our encounter. It barely makes it into the U.S. Between 1993 and 1995 there were an estimated 76 individuals in Arizona. It would love to get back to Arizona and get a better photo.