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Black-headed Trogon (Trogon melanocephalus)
Photo: Kat B, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist
Black-headed Trogon

Family Trogonidae

Black-headed Trogon

Trogon melanocephalus

In Spanish: Trogón Cabecinegro (Viuda Amarilla)

  • Resident

A calm yellow-bellied trogon of the northwest Pacific dry forest edges.

Where to see itTrips that find it

The Black-headed Trogon is one of the easiest trogons to see in Costa Rica, because it favors open dry forest edge and tends to sit calmly in view. Costa Ricans know it as Viuda Amarilla, the Yellow Widow.

It is the only Costa Rican trogon with a yellow belly and an unbarred tail, so a good look settles the identification. On a trip we build through Guanacaste, open fields with scattered trees are fairly reliable for it.

Where to see it

How to find it

Scan any wooded area on the Pacific slope north of Carara, especially open dry forest edge. Early morning and late afternoon are the birdiest times in wooded areas and river edges in Guanacaste. Roadside birding at Chomes and the Guacimo Road gives a chance at dry forest species. Listen for the clucking series, then look for a calm bird sitting in semi-open habitat.

How to recognise it

Males have a solid black head and upperparts, a yellow belly, a dark eye with a pale blue eye ring, and a black tail with broad white tips on the outer feathers. A narrow white band separates the dark chest from the yellow underparts. In Costa Rica the adult male has a black head and chest. Females look similar but duller, with dark slaty gray upperparts, and are slaty-black with a darker throat and face. Immatures are duller still, and juveniles are mostly grayish brown.

What it sounds like

0:19

Recording: er-birds, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

It eats both fruit and arthropods, and nestlings are fed mostly large caterpillars and other big insects. It may perch motionless for long periods, then dart out for prey. It nests in large tree termite nests, and both parents dig the nest. In the breeding season, groups of up to 12 may gather to call and forage.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it lives mainly in the northwest Pacific region, with its southern limit at Carara National Park. It uses seasonal forest, woodland edges and river corridors, and it tolerates areas where trees lose leaves in the dry season. Unlike many trogons, it prefers fairly open habitat. It is a common resident of the northern Pacific lowlands and hills.

When to see it

Breeding in Costa Rica runs from March to July. Males call more often then, so this is a good time to find them by sound.

Similar birds

It resembles the Violaceous (Gartered) Trogon but has an unbroken bluish eye ring, no barring on the tail, and a more staccato call. Females of the three yellow-bellied trogons all have brown heads, so use the habitat and eye ring.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican sources call it Viuda Amarilla (Yellow Widow) and Trogón Cabecinegro, and the AOCR list gives the same two names.

Status and conservation

It is listed as a resident (R) on the AOCR list, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Photography tips

Be patient, since it may perch motionless for long periods before darting out for prey. Skutch wrote that its blue-green and gold plumage is best appreciated when it rests low in sunshine.

Trips that find it

  • Birding in Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula11 nightsSee the trip

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How we know this 19 sources, each read on the date shown
  1. Birdingcraft read 2026-11-04https://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/tag/black-headed-trogon/
  2. EcoRegistros read 2026-11-04https://www.ecoregistros.org/site/imagen.php?id=211789
  3. Costa Rica Guide read 2026-11-04https://costa-rica-guide.com/photos/wildlife-reserves/transition-dry-to-rain-forest/attachment/female-black-headed-trogon-costa-rica/
  4. Reflections of the Natural World read 2026-11-04https://reflectionsofthenaturalworld.com/2024/09/26/black-headed-trogon-pura-vida-birds-and-birding/
  5. Cano Negro Lodge read 2026-11-04https://canonegrolodge.com/black-headed-trogon-trogon-melanocephalus/
  6. Birds of the World read 2026-11-04https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/blhtro1/cur/introduction
  7. Animalia.bio read 2026-11-04https://animalia.bio/black-headed-trogon
  8. Birds of the World (Spanish) read 2026-11-04https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/blhtro1/cur/introduction?lang=es
  9. Wikipedia read 2026-11-04https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_trogon
  10. Oiseaux.net read 2026-11-04https://www.oiseaux.net/en/oiseaux/black-headed.trogon.html
  11. Aves de Costa Rica read 2026-11-04https://www.avesdecostarica.com/Trogon-melanocephalus.html
  12. Meadowhawk blog read 2026-11-04https://meadowhawk.wordpress.com/2017/05/28/costa-rica-birding-around-the-resort/
  13. Birding Craft read 2026-11-04https://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/2014/04/24/where-to-see-birds-in-guanacaste-costa-rica/
  14. Bird Alliance of Oregon read 2026-11-04https://birdallianceoregon.org/event/guancastecr2024/
  15. Costa Rica Focus read 2026-11-04https://www.costaricafocus.com/the-best-places-for-spotting-trogons-in-costa-rica/
  16. BirdForum gallery read 2026-11-04https://www.birdforum.net/gallery/black-headed-trogon-male.706695/
  17. Alamy read 2026-11-04https://www.alamy.com/black-headed-trogon-trogon-melanocephalus-in-palo-verde-national-park-costa-rica-image267223653.html
  18. SuperStock read 2026-11-04https://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1566-12928262
  19. Flickr (Jorge Obando, with Spanish species text) read 2026-11-04https://www.flickr.com/photos/jobando/33521518763