The elegant trogon (Trogon elegans), previously known as the coppery-tailed trogon, is a near passerine bird in the trogon family native to Central America. The etymology of the word trogon comes from the Greek word trōgein, meaning "to gnaw", which describes how this species prepares its nests in trees.
Taxonomy T. elegans has five recognized subspecies, including the nominate subspecies:[3]
T. e. elegans Gould, 1834 T. e. ambiguus Gould, 1835 T. e. canescens Van Rossem, 1934 T. e. goldmani Nelson, 1898 T. e. lubricus J. L. Peters, 1945 BirdLife International and Handbook of the Birds of the World consider T. e. ambiguus to be its own species, as Trogon ambiguus, with Trogon elegans sensu stricto being the Central American population. The IUCN Red List follows this taxonomy, but Avibase and Clements do not.
Phylogenetic research suggests a monophyly with T. rufus, T. mexicanus, T. personatus, T. aurantiiventris, and T. collaris. The distribution of their ancestors was restricted to the new world. However, the presence of trogons in the old world has led to debate on their true origin, which remains unknown to this day. The elegant trogon is listed as endangered in the state of New Mexico. It prefers to live in conditions that would favor the presence of pine oak woodlands and local water making it particularly susceptible to disturbance.
However, according to the IUCN red list, the elegant trogon is listed as being of least concern, as of 2020. Although population trends are declining, there is no sign that the species in threatened or endangered in most of its habitat.
