Trogon subsp. rufus amazonicus, TODD, 1943

Dickens, Jeremy Kenneth, Bitton, Pierre-Paul, Bravo, Gustavo A. & Silveira, Luís Fábio, 2021, Species limits, patterns of secondary contact and a new species in the Trogon rufus complex (Aves: Trogonidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193 (2), pp. 499-540 : 23-24

TROGON RUFUS AMAZONICUS TODD, 1943

Proposed English name: Eastern black-throated trogon.

Trogon atricollis Pelzeln J, 1868 , Zur Orn. Bras., pp. 226–331, Borba (right bank Rio Madeira), Barra do Rio Negro (= Manaus), and Marabitanas Cucuí (upper Rio Negro). – Trogon atricollis (Race A) Grant, 1892 , Cat. Birds. Brit. Mus., 17, pp. 455–458, Borba (Rio Madeira), Eastern Peru and Ecuador. – Trogon atricollis atricollis Hellmayr, 1906 , Novit. Zool., 13, p. 380: Prata (near Belém). – Trogon rufus rufus Hellmayr, 1910 , Novit. Zool., 17 p. 387 [Borba and Humayta (= Humaita)], Rio Madeira. – Trogonurus curucui curucui Ridgway, 1911 , Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus.50 (5), p.764 – Trogon rufus Snethlage, 1914 , Part. Bol. Mus. Goeldi. 8, p. 208: Rio Guamá (Sta. Maria de S. Miguel), Rio Tapajos (Villa Braga), Rio Purús, Rio Jamundá (Faro). – Trogonurus curucui curucui Cory, 1919 , Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser., 13, p. 325. – Trogonurus rufus rufus Stone, 1928 , Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 80, p. 158. – Trogonurus rufus rufus Pinto, 1938 , Rev. Mus. Paul. 22, p. 289. – Trogon curucui sulphureus Griscom & Greenway, 1941 , Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 88, pp. 180–181. – Trogon rufus amazonicus Todd, 1943 , Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 56, p. 11, Villa Braga (left bank Rio Tapajos), Brazil. – Trogon rufus amazonicus Pinto, 1947 , Arquic. de Zool. do Est, de São Paulo, 5, p. 371, Rio Arapiuns. – Trogon rufus amazonicus Zimmer, 1948 . American Museum Novitates no. 1380, pp. 26–31. – Trogon rufus rufus Pinto, 1950 , Papeíes Avilsos de Zoologia, 9(9), pp. 89–136. – Trogon rufus sulphureus Gyldenstolpe, 1951 , Ark. F. Zool., Kungl. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl., 22 (3), pp. 85–87: female from Igarapé Castanha, Amazonas, Brazil. – Trogon rufus rufus Pinto, 1978 , Novo Catal. das Aves do Brasil, 1a Parte, p. 218, S Venezuela, the Guianas and north Brazil, east of the Rio Negro and Madeira.

Diagnosis: Yellow or greenish-yellow eye-rings diagnostic against T. r. rufus , T. chrysochloros and T. tenellus . Smaller, with less serrated bill than T. chrysochloros . Males: Uppertail hue warmer (more coppery) than T. r. rufus (> 587 nm) but generally cooler (greener) than T. r. sulphureus . Subterminal band of greener coloration present and breast band usually absent, unlike in T. r. rufus , T. chrysochloros , T. tenellus and sometimes T. cupreicuada . Compared to T. r. rufus , the wing panel barring is less dense and percentage area black lower due to the broader white wing bars. Compared to T. r. sulphureus , the undertail barring is denser with narrower black and white bars, whilst the wing panel has a distinctly lower percentage area black and generally narrower black bars. Differs from T. tenellus by the more coppery uppertail, breast band absence, and denser undertail barring with narrower black bars. Compared to T. cupreicauda , the undertail barring is denser with narrower black and white bars. Females: Not safely separable from other Amazonian subspecies but the brown coloration generally more yellow-brown, and the uppertail, head and chest more saturated than in T. r. rufus . Compared to T. r. sulphureus , the undertail barring is denser with narrower black and white bars and lower percentage area black, whilst the wing-panel barring is generally denser with narrower light brown bars. In terms of coloration, the mantle is often yellower and sometimes more saturated, and the chest often yellower and brighter. Against T. chrysochloros , the undertail barring generally has a lower percentage area black and slightly lower density, the wing panel barring is generally less dense with slightly broader bar widths, the head is generally less yellow, mantle more saturated, and chest generally more saturated, and lighter. Compared to T. tenellus , the undertail barring is generally denser with narrower black bars and a lower percentage area black. The wing panel barring generally has slightly broader black bars, narrower light brown bars and greater percentage area black. The head colour is less yellow and less saturated, mantle more saturated, chest yellower, lighter and generally less saturated, and uppertail more saturated. They differ from T. cupreicauda by the lack of an extensive brown wash on the undertail, whilst the undertail and wing-panel barring are generally denser with narrower light brown bars, the brown coloration is generally more saturated, and chest lighter.

Song: Fewer notes per phrase, slower pace, longer note and pause durations, lower note frequencies and narrower note bandwidths than T. chrysochloros . Lower note frequencies than T. tenellus . Fewer notes and longer note durations than T. cupreicauda . Not safely separable from other Amazonian subspecies but generally has more notes per phrase (no twonote phrases), slower pace and sometimes longer note durations. Generally higher frequencies, particularly of the fist note, which give it an ‘introductory’ nature, compared to T.. rufus .

Distribution and habitat: Terra firme forests of southeastern Amazonia, south of the Amazon and east of the Madeira Rivers in Brazil. An intergradation zone with T. r. rufus stretches along the southern bank of the Amazon and with T. r. sulphureus along both margins of the Madeira River. Absent from Marajó Island.

Type material: Holotype: CM 75224 (Adult Male). Villa Braga, Tapajos R., Brazil, 01.xii.1919, S. M. Klages.

Description: Smallest body mass of all taxa, although the relatively short wing and tail lengths are generally longer than for T. tenellus and T. cupreicauda but much shorter than T. chrysochloros . Males: The uppertail hue is generally slightly coppery-green but varies from deep reddish-copper to shiny olivegreen. Subterminal tailband of greener coloration present but often indistinct. Head and mantle coppery green. Rump usually more golden-green. Chest bluegreen to golden-green. Belly yellow. Breast band typically absent, although sometimes inconspicuous in intergradation zone with T. r. rufus . Undertail barring like T. r. rufus with narrow black bars, moderate white bars, moderate density and low percentage area black. Wing panel barring with narrow to moderate black bars, broad white bars, low density and relatively low percentage area black. Moderate terminal tailband width. Females: Head colour generally less saturated and darker Dark Brown to Dark Yellow Brown. Mantle, generally yellower, poorly to highly saturated Dark Yellowish Brown to Dark Olive Brown. Overall, chest slightly more saturated, lighter Olive Brown to Dark Yellowish Brown. Uppertail highly saturated Dark Reddish Brown. Extent of brown on undertail usually as edging around black patch, absent or sometimes rectriced to base of outer rectrices. Undertail barring with high bar density, narrow black bars, generally narrow white bars and low percentage area black. Wing panel barring with moderate density, moderate to broad black and light brown bars and generally high percentage area black. Bareparts: Eye-rings typically yellow or yellow-green but with a moderate number green and small numbers blue-grey, blue and white in the intergradation zone with T. r. rufus and further south in the Madeira–Tapajos interfluve. Tarsi usually grey – especially in the intergradation zones and Madeira–Tapajos interfluve – or olive and occasionally pink to purplish-grey (single female).

Song: Moderate number of notes per phrase, slow pace, long introductory and loudsong note durations, moderate pause following the introductory note, introductory note with moderately low peak and high frequencies and low low-frequency, loudsong with moderately low peak and high frequencies and low lowfrequency. Narrow introductory note and loudsong note bandwidths. Similar to T. r. rufus but with a generally higher first note, giving it a more ‘introductory’ quality. Two-note phrases not known from recorded songs.