'Habitat' includes of course the geologic base
(soil and profile), the resulting plant society, climate and geographic
location. But the animal neighbors are as important. They are
part of the food chain as prey or predator and, usually most
importantly, compete for the same resources or provide them, like food
and nesting cavities. In this painting after my very first observation
of Elegant Trogons in Madera Canyon (1994), I posed them and their
neighbors in a thicket of Sycamore branches, Ferns and Columbine
flowers. So I considerably shrunk the distance between canopy and forest
floor in my imaginary world.
I think back then, Trogons, who reach the northernmost point of their distribution in SE Arizona, only migrated north for the breeding season. Trogons are primarily occupants of tropical forests, but as omnivores, they are somewhat adaptable. They glean the brush for insects and they love the berries of the Madrone tree, but they do not refuse those of introduced Pyracantha shrubs. In spring, the pair raises 2 to 4 chicks in a tree cavity, and Sycamores seem to provide the most desirable ones. Nowadays Elegant Trogons can be seen year round in SE Arizona's canyons and riparian areas.
Gut gebrüllt, kleiner Löwe
1 day ago
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