The Beautiful Maroon Bird Of Southeast Asia — Ward's Trogon
The Ward’s trogon (Harpactes wardi) belongs to the family of trogons and quetzals, Trogonidae in the order Trogoniformes. These species of trogons are distributed in Northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh), Bhutan, Northeast Myanmar, China (West Yunnan province) and Vietnam (Tonkin region). The Ward’s trogon is a sparsely distributed species and it has a moderately small population which is under steady decline.
Rolling clouds, pretty blooms, and dense subtropical evergreen forests, all conspire to hide Bhutan's precious, and in some cases increasingly rare assemblage of exotic birds. Amongst the oak trees, or at altitudes of up to 10,400 ft, is where you may, if the' twitching' gods are kind; sight the lesser spotted, montane dwelling 'Ward's Trogon'. Not much is known about the so elusive their almost illusory Ward's trogon, but if you do decide to trek down to the moist broadleaf forest today, be prepared to keep those eyes peeled, and the hammering of your heart to a dull roar, lest it give your presence and 'TICK' away.