Eotrogon stenorhynchus

Eotrogon stenorhynchus

Mayr, De Pietri & Kitchener, 2023

Common name Trogon
Fossil group Birds
Order Trogoniformes
Family Trogonidae
Genus Eotrogon
Taxonomic status Accepted
Geological age Ypresian

Summary

Eotrogon stenorhynchus was an early trogon with a markedly narrower, more delicate bill than living trogons. It already possessed the characteristic heterodactyl foot, in which the second toe is turned backwards with the fourth, but its flight apparatus was less specialised for the short hovering manoeuvres used by some modern trogons.

It was almost certainly an arboreal bird. The slender bill suggests that its feeding differed from living broad billed trogons and may have involved taking small insects or other delicate prey, perhaps with some fruit. The exact diet is inferred from anatomy, but the combination of foot and bill provides unusually informative ecological evidence.

Quick Identification

Look for: an associated small trogon skeleton with a very narrow beak and heterodactyl foot. The beak, quadrate, coracoid and tarsometatarsus are particularly useful; isolated generic bird bones are not enough.

Diagnostic Features

  • The upper beak is much narrower and more gracile than in crown trogons.
  • The beak lacks the ossified nasal septum present in living trogons.
  • The foot is heterodactyl, but the second trochlea is smaller than in crown Trogoniformes.
  • The coracoid has a long procoracoid process and a deeply concave scapular cotyle.
  • The pectoral and wing skeleton is less specialised for short term hovering than in living trogons.

Fossil Details

Preservation
Many elements are delicate and some beak material has been damaged after collection. Association is important for separating this species from other early trogons.

Similar Species

Recorded Fossil Sites

No fossil-site occurrences have yet been recorded for this species.

Last Reviewed
25 August 2026 Reviewed by Sam Harris