Reader photos of Elegant Trogon show how to tell females from males

Elegant Trogon, male, at Madera Canyon in February 2009 by Gary Botello

Elegant Trogon is the quintessential Arizona bird. As photographer Jim Burns wrote in our October 2016 issue, the bird is parrot size, about 13 inches long, and sometimes even called a parrot by non-birders. A broad tail -- metallic copper on the dorsal side and banded gray, black, and white on the ventral side -- makes up half the length. The tail also gives the bird its former name: Coppery-tailed Trogon.

Elegant Trogons are often seen perching upright, with their tails hanging nearly straight down. Gary Botello photographed the bird above, a male, in February 2009 at Madera Canyon, in southeastern Arizona.