Since 2004 · Licensed by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT)

Slaty-tailed Trogon in Costa Rica

Family Trogonidae

Slaty-tailed Trogon

Trogon massena

In Spanish: Trogón Coliplomizo (Caicota)

  • Resident

Evergreen forest on the Caribbean and Pacific slopes, up to about 1,200 m. All year.

Where to see itTrips that find it

If a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys is moving through the trees, look just behind it. This trogon often follows them and takes the insects they flush.

A big trogon, with a red belly and an orange-red bill. To be sure of it, look under the tail.

Where to see it

Map of the places to see the Slaty-tailed Trogon and the lodges near them
  • Hotspot page
  • Named place
  • Nearby lodge (numbers match the cards)

Nearby lodges

Within 20 km of a place on the map, in the same zone.

  • 1
    La Selva Biological Station2.2 km from La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíSee the lodge
  • 2Photo coming
    Santa Lucía Jungle Hacienda, Autograph Collection2.7 km from Carara National Park (off the map)See the lodge
  • 3
    Arenal Observatory Lodge7.8 km from The Mistico hanging bridges at Arenal (off the map)See the lodge
  • 4
    Selva Verde Lodge7.5 km from La Selva Biological Station, SarapiquíSee the lodge
  • 5
    Cerro Lodge3.1 km from Carara National Park (off the map)See the lodge
See all lodges in this zone →

How to recognise it

About 30 to 35.5 cm, roughly the length of a school ruler or a little more, and the biggest trogon on these pages after the quetzal. The male has an orange-red bill, a dull black face and throat, and a red to orange ring around the eye. His breast is metallic green; the belly and vent, the feathers under the base of the tail, are deep red. The female swaps most of that green for grey. The mark that settles it is the underside of the tail, plain slate grey with black tips. The Collared Trogon, also red-bellied, is barred black and white there. Listen for a steady, deliberate series of cow notes, or a deep wuk, wuk, wuk.

Where it lives

The middle storey up to the canopy of tropical evergreen forest and mature secondary forest. The Costa Rican subspecies is found on both the Caribbean and the Pacific slopes, and locally as high as about 1,200 m.

When to see it

All year.

Trips that find it

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How we know this 2 sources, each read on the date shown
  1. Wikipedia: Slaty-tailed trogon read 4 November 2026https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaty-tailed_trogon
  2. Wikipedia: Collared trogon read 4 November 2026https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collared_trogon