TOUCANS   -   RAMPHASTIDAE

Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco albogularis Serra da Canastra NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The largest toucan, and it has become symbolic of the family (e.g. Guiness beer). The late afternoon sunlight caught his amazing bill and made it glow.

Black-mandibled Toucan Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii La Selva OTS, Heredia province, Costa Rica. Until recently this race was considered a distinct monotypic species, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan. Lumping them seems reasonable to me, since apart from bill color they seem identical.

White-throated Toucan Ramphastos tucanus tucanus Caño Colorado, Monagas state, Venezuela. Another toucan species that has seen a major taxonomic revision in recent years. This is the nominate red-billed race from NE South America, formerly split off as Red-billed Toucan.

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus brevicarinatus La Selva OTS, Heredia province, Costa Rica. Sometimes called Rainbow-billed Toucan, a far better name in my opinion.

Red-breasted Toucan Ramphastos dicolorus Parque Estadual Intervales, São Paulo state, Brazil. A gaudy toucan from SE South America. It occurs mainly in the Atlantic Forest, but does occur locally outside it.

Red-breasted Toucan Ramphastos dicolorus Hotel do Ypê, Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Another shot, this time looking down on it from the balcony of the hotel.

Emerald (Blue-throated) Toucanet Aulacorhynchus prasinus caeruleogularis Monteverde, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica. Some taxonomists split this species up as many as seven ways. However, the differences between them aren't really any more than the differences between the races of the larger toucans above that have been lumped.

Emerald (Santa Marta) Toucanet Aulacorhynchus prasinus lautus El Dorado reserve, Santa Marta mountains, Colombia. Another of the potential splits, this one endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northeastern Colombia.

Crimson-rumped Toucanet Aulacorhynchus haematopygus sexnotatus Mirador Rio Blanco, Los Bancos, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Shot through the window of the restaurant as it was sitting on a banana feeder.

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan Andigena hypoglauca hypoglauca Reserva El Mirador, Quindío department, Colombia. I had to photograph it through a layer of fog.

Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan Andigena laminirostris Tandayapa Valley, Pichincha province, Ecuador. Nearly endemic to Ecuador, only barely reaching across the Colombian border. This is the bird on the cover of the Ridgely & Greenfield field guide.

Black-billed Mountain-Toucan Andigena nigrirostris spilorynchus Cosanga River road, Napo province, Ecuador.

Black-billed Mountain-Toucan Andigena nigrirostris occidentalis Above Jardín, Antioquia department, Colombia. Differs from the race in the previous shot mainly by the red patch at the base of the lower mandible.

Yellow-eared-Toucanet Selenidera spectabilis Braulio Carrillo NP, Heredia province, Costa Rica. Female.

Golden-collared Toucanet Selenidera reinwardtii reinwardtii Pacto Sumaco road, Napo province, Ecuador. Female.

Gould's Toucanet Selenidera gouldii Serra de Baturité, Ceará state, Brazil. Male. This individual is from the isolated population in NE Brazil, where it lives in rather dry forest. The main population lives in rainforest in the southern and eastern Amazon.

Spot-billed Toucanet Selenidera maculirostris Macaé de Cima, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Male. Mainly an Atlantic Forest endemic, but it does apparently live in gallery forest near the edges of its range.

Green Aracari Pteroglossus viridis Imitaca Forest (Rio Grande), Bolívar state, Venezuela. Male. This species occurs mainly on the Guianan Shield of nothern South America.

Lettered Aracari Pteroglossus inscriptus humboldti Sacha Lodge, Orellana province, Ecuador. Female. Photographed from the canopy tower.

Red-necked Aracari Pteroglossus bitorquatus sturmii Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Mato Gross state, Brazil. Female. According to the race info in HBW Vol. 7, the race that should occur at Cristalino is reichenowi, but this one is clearly sturmii, which lacks the white patch at the base of the lower mandible and has a wider yellow breast band - compare with the next photo.		Red-necked Aracari Pteroglossus bitorquatus reichenowi Serra dos Carajás, Pará state, Brazil. Male. The yellow breast band is so reduced that is not visible in this poor photo.

Ivory-billed Aracari Pteroglossus azara flavirostris Sacha Lodge, Orellana province, Ecuador. Female. Digiscoped from one of the support towers of the metal canopy walkway.

Black-necked Aracari Pteroglossus aracari aracari Sooretama reserve, Espiritu Santo state, Brazil. This one from the Atlantic Forest, but it also occurs disjunctly in the eastern Amazon and the Guianan region.

Black-necked Aracari Pteroglossus aracari roraimae/atricollis El Dorado, Bolívar state, Venezuela Differs from the nominate (shown above) by the more obvious culmen stripe and chestnut ear coverts. Race roraimae was not recognized by HBW 7.

Many-banded Aracari Pteroglossus pluricinctus Sacha Lodge, Orellana province, Ecuador. Female on left showing no chestnut behind eye. Presumably the one on the right is a male, though its chestnut patch isn't terribly obvious. As in other toucans, the male should have a longer bill, but that's hard to judge considering I chopped it off with the camera...

Collared Aracari Pteroglossus torquatus nuchalis Reserva El Paujil, Santander department, Colombia. I think the one on the right is the male, since it's bill seems longer. They were going to roost in that hole, it didn't appear to be a nest.

Curl-crested Aracari Pteroglossus beauharnaesii Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Mato Gross state, Brazil. It was probably feeding young, since it flew off with fruit in it's beak.		Saffron Toucanet Pteroglossus bailloni Hotel do Ypê, Itatiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Sex uncertain; the short bill is more typical of a female, but it has the brighter plumage more characteristic of a male. A unique toucan, often (and probably better) placed in its own monotypic genus Baillonius, since it really doesn't look like anything else.

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