The nominate male has an orange-red bill and a dull black face, chin, and upper throat with a red to orange ring around the eye.

The female replaces most of the male's green with gray that is paler on the upper breast than on the upperparts.

[4] The nominate subspecies of slaty-tailed trogon is found on the Caribbean slope from southern Mexico through Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala into Nicaragua.

T. m. hoffmanni is found on the Caribbean and Pacific slopes of Costa Rica and Panama, and also in extreme northwestern Colombia.

[2][4] The slaty-tailed trogon forages for fruits and insects by sallying or hover gleaning from a perch.

It often follows white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus and C. imitator) to catch insects displaced by them.

[4] The slaty-tailed trogon's breeding season varies geographically, but appears to span from February to July overall.

[1] However, "The primary threats to this species are logging of mature forests, and habitat conversion for agriculture.