Bare-cheeked trogon

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Bare-cheeked trogon (Apaloderma aequatoriale) is a medium-sized bird of the trogon family living in the rainforests of western central Africa. It is one of three African Apaloderma species, along with the bar-tailed trogon and narina trogon. It can be told apart from the narina trogon by its bright yellow facial skin (narina has green facial skin), and it is smaller with a shorter tail.

What it looks like
- Length: about 28–31 cm
- Sexes look similar, but males have a green-blue back, head and upper breast, with a pinkish-red lower breast; females have the same wing color but pinkish-red breasts and green-blue back/neck.
- Both sexes have pale grey wings with fine bars, a white undertail, and a yellow bill.
- They have a distinctive feature shared with other trogons: heterodactyl feet.

Habitat and range
- Found year-round in central west Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria.
- Lives in interior lowland rainforests, including swamp forests, flood forests with vines, and logged forests with intact canopy.
- They spend most time in the subcanopy and nest in tree cavities 2–8 meters above the ground.

Behavior and voice
- Insects form the main diet: large green caterpillars, beetles, moths, mantises, bush-crickets, plus grass and moss.
- They hunt much like drongos, sometimes chasing prey to the ground.
- The bare-cheeked trogon sings a distinctive series of 6–8 “chuu” notes every 15–20 seconds. When adults return to the nest with food, they emit low grunting calls.
- They sometimes join singing gatherings with 3–10 adult males (rarely up to 20), and occasionally male narina trogons join in. The purpose of these gatherings is not fully understood and does not seem to be tied to mating.

Breeding
- There is no fixed breeding season; it varies by region.
- They are monogamous and territorial.
- Nests are in cavities 2–8 meters up in rotting trees.
- Usually two eggs are laid and hatch after about 16 days.
- Both parents feed the chicks for another 16 days, so both sexes care for young.