Red-breasted Toucan
Ramphastos dicolorus
Large toucan with a red belly, vent, and rump, a greenish bill, a white and yellow throat and breast. The upperparts are mostly black. Note the prominent bare red skin around the pale eyes and a black ring around the base of the bill. Found mostly in montane forests but also in lowland forests, second growth, and plantations. Call is as series of “grreekk” notes.
Identification
The red-breasted toucan is 42 to 48 cm (17 to 19 in) long and weighs 265 to 400 g (9.3 to 14 oz); it is the smallest member of genus Ramphastos. The sexes are alike though the female's bill is shorter than the male's. Their bill is mostly green to green-yellow, with a vertical black line at its base, red and ivory tomial "teeth", and some green striations on the maxilla. Their crown, nape, upperparts, and tail are black but for red uppertail coverts. Their face is yellow with bare red, blue, and yellow-green skin around the eye. Their throat and breast are yellow with a red area within the lower breast. Their belly and undertail coverts are red and their flanks black.
Taxonomy
The red-breasted toucan is sister to the channel-billed toucan (R. vitellinus) and Choco toucan (R. brevis). It is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Ramphastos dicolorus
- Authority
- Linnaeus, 1766
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Ramphastidae
- Genus
- Ramphastos
Range and habitat
The red-breasted toucan is found from Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santoin south-central, east-central, and southeastern Brazil south through eastern Paraguay, Bolivia and into northern Argentina's Formosa, Chaco, Corrientes, and Misiones provinces. It primarily inhabits subtropical and tropical, sub-montane and montane forest, but also scrublands, savanna with trees, and plantations. In elevation it mostly ranges between 100 and 1,500 m (300 and 4,900 ft); it occurs as high as 2,070 m (6,800 ft) but only rarely.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
In the southern part of its range the red-breasted toucan moves to lower elevations in the austral winter. After breeding some move from natural forest into plantations.<p>The red-breasted toucan feeds mostly on fruits, of both native and introduced plants as well as green coffee beans and fruit in orchards. To a lesser extent it also feeds on insects and small birds. It usually forages in pairs and small groups but 20 or more may gather at times. It usually forages in the forest canopy but will pick up fallen fruit from the ground.<p>The red-breasted toucan breeds between October and February in the southern part of its range and from January to June in the north. Pairs are territorial. Males allopreen and courtship-feed females. The species nests in cavities in both living and dead trees, either those made by natural decay or excavated by woodpeckers, and will enlarge both the entrance hole and the cavity if needed. Typically the bottom of the cavity has a layer of ejested seeds. The few nests studied have ranged from 0.7 to 6.0 m (2 to 20 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is two to four eggs. Both adults incubate the eggs and both provision nestlings. The incubation period is about 16 to 19 days and fledging occurs 40 to 50 days after hatch.<p>The red-breasted toucan is one of the "croaker" group of toucans. Its song is a "loud, raucous 'WRèh' or 'niuh'." Other vocalizations are a "long series of noisy honking 'grrekk' notes" and "low 'ek', 'zneep', [and] growl-like begging". It also claps its bill and rattles its tongue in the bill.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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A medium-sized honeyeater of lowland and foothill forest edge and gardens. Upperparts dark brown and lower parts gray-brown. Dark head has thin white streaking on the crown and a distinctive white stripe on the face. Thought to mimic the appearance of the New Guinea Friarbird, but Streak-headed Honeyeater is much smaller. Also similar to the juvenile Brown Oriole, but Streak-headed Honeyeater lacks the streaking on the throated and chest. Varied vocalizations including series of repeated notes or strong, whistled, short phrases.
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A large cuckoo endemic to Sulawesi. Long tail and red eye. Male is all black; females have a brown back andbarred underparts with white stripe on the face. Found in forest and edge where it hides in dense canopy and is difficult to see. The only koel on Sulawesi. Male separated from other black birds by long, pointed black tail. Female from other cuckoos by white stripe on face and barring. Voice a typical “koel!” call, or short series of rising and falling “woo” notes.
White-throated Screech-Owl
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Large screech-owl found in temperate forests, typically from around 2,300–3,400 m. Quite dark brown overall with small pale spots and bars covering head, back, and wings. Belly is paler tawny with dark streaks. White throat patch is usually obvious. Sexes similar. Strictly nocturnal and thus more often heard than seen; listen for a fairly short and slow series of toots that descends in pitch, often given as a duet.
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