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.

Tip of the day, don't forget to look down as well as up, as trogons are known for nesting in the trunks of rotting trees. Though most of its prey is taken during aerial sallies, the Ward's trogon is also an expert forager, and you can spot them probing through the moss and undergrowth in search of a meal. Fruit, smooth skinned caterpillars, and the occasional small frog are the order of the day, but be warned, the Ward's trogon also has a taste for noxious little critters, which are thought to account for the unusually rancid smell of its excrement.