NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Malabar Trogon
Harpactes fasciatus (Pennant, 1769)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Malabar trogon (Harpactes fasciatus) is a species of bird in the trogon family. It is found in the forests of India and Sri Lanka. In India, it is mainly found in the Western Ghats, hill forests of central India and in parts of the Eastern Ghats. They are insectivorous and although not migratory, may move seasonally in response to rain in hill forest regions. Like in other trogons, males and females vary in plumage. The birds utter low, guttural calls that can be heard only at close quarters, and perch still on a branch under the forest canopy, often facing away from the viewer, making them easy to miss despite their colourful plumage.
Wikipedia contributors, Malabar trogon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:07:06.797787+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Harpactes fasciatus (Pennant, 1769)
- Name authority
- (Pennant, 1769)
- Common name
- Malabar Trogon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Trogoniformes
- Family
- Trogonidae
- Genus
- Harpactes
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderTrogoniformes
- familyTrogonidae
- genusHarpactes Swainson, 1833
- speciesHarpactes fasciatus (Pennant, 1769)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Harpactes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Philippine TrogonHarpactes ardens (Temminck, 1826) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Orange-breasted TrogonHarpactes oreskios (Temminck, 1823) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Whitehead's TrogonHarpactes whiteheadi Sharpe, 1888 | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-naped TrogonHarpactes kasumba (Raffles, 1822) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Diard's TrogonHarpactes diardii (Temminck, 1832) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scarlet-rumped TrogonHarpactes duvaucelii (Temminck, 1824) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-headed TrogonHarpactes erythrocephalus (Gould, 1834) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cinnamon-rumped TrogonHarpactes orrhophaeus (Cabanis & Heine, 1863) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ward's TrogonHarpactes wardi (Kinnear, 1927) | TrogonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554508 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3JRX7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.