Brazilian name: surucuá-variado
The Surucua Trogon is distributed in east-central and south-east Brazil and into adjacent areas of Paraguay and Argentina. See the distribution map at xeno-canto. It is found in the mid-storey of forest and woodland where it feeds mainly on insects but also some small fruits.
While the HBW and Birdlife International Checklist treat this as a separate species many authorities lump it with Northern Surucua Trogon S. aurantius. In such treatment there are two distinct sub-species. Photos 1 and 2 show the nominate sub-species T. s. surrucura where the male in photo 1 has an orange ring around the eye, black to dark blue head, neck and breast, pinkish-red belly and all white undertail. The female in photo 2 has a pinkish-red lower belly but is otherwise grey with a black tail with white edging.
The sub-species T. s. aurantius is found from the north of São Paulo state
northwards and the male has an orange belly and yellow eye-ring. Photo 3, taken at Pico de Babilonia, shows a male
while photo 4 shows a female and photo 5 shows a pair at Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro state.
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