Hispaniolan Trogon Priotelus roseigaster Scientific name definitions

This species account is dedicated to Simón Guerrero Suriñach, a leading figure for appreciation and conservation of birds in the Dominican Republic. Simón was a tireless and enthusiastic teacher, researcher and advocate, involving his students, government ministries and communities in all his efforts to raise awareness and work towards biodiversity conservation.

The Hispaniolan Trogon (Priotelus roseigaster) is the only member of the trogon family that occurs on the island of Hispaniola. Together with its sister species, the Cuban Trogon (Priotelus temnurus), these form the genus Priotelus, which is confined to the Greater Antilles, and are the only trogons found in the Caribbean. The Hispaniolan Trogon is unlike any other bird on Hispaniola, having metallic green upperparts, a gray breast, a red belly, and a dark blue tail strongly marked with white.

This species occurs from sea level to the highest peaks, although it only rarely occurs at lower elevations. The introductory paragraph of the account of the Hispaniolan Trogon by Wetmore and Swales (1 Wetmore, A., and B. H. Swales (1931). The birds of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. United States National Museum Bulletin 155. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA. Close ) provides a good description of an encounter with this strikingly beautiful bird: "In travel along the wilder trails through the hills of Hispaniola there may come to the ear a curious cooing call suggesting the note of a pigeon but at the same time differing from the sound produced by any of the familiar species of that group. The call is ventriloquial and seems to arise first from one side and then from another. Finally there is a glimpse of a bird in black silhouette, resting in shadow on some open limb, with body erect and tail hanging straight down. No color is visible and it is a pleasurable surprise when one of the birds pitches to a lower perch or is brought into closer view by the aid of binoculars and the colors of the plumage flash out brilliantly, the clear red of the abdomen sharply marked from the gray of the breast, and the back a shimmering green."