Many-banded Aracari
Pteroglossus pluricinctus
Fairly small toucan found in northwestern Amazonia. Often the most common speices of aracari within its range. Mainly black above and yellow below, with two conspicuous dark belly bands. Also note bare blue-green skin around eye and striking black-and-yellow bill with a red tip. Typically found in small groups in the canopy of lowland forest and edges, up into the foothills of the Andes. Often seen perched conspicuously on a snag, or foraging in a fruiting tree.
Identification
The many-banded aracari is 43 to 46 cm (17 to 18 in) long including the 11 to 12.5 cm (4.3 to 4.9 in) bill. It weighs 215 to 302 g (7.6 to 11 oz). Males' and females' bills are alike in color; the female's is shorter. The bill has an orange-yellow line at its base. Its maxilla is orange-yellow with a wide black stripe on the culmen and a black base. Its mandible is black. Adult males have a mostly black head, throat, and neck but for bare blue-green to green skin around the eye and a chestnut patch behind it. Their back is dark green and their rump is red. Their underparts are yellow with two bands, the upper one black and the lower one black and red. Their thighs are a mix of chestnut, green, and yellow. Adult females have little or no chestnut behind the eye and their black breast band is usually wider than the male's. Immatures are overall duller than adults, especially the yellow. Their bill is gray, brown, horn, and black without the yellow basal line. Their thighs are green.
Taxonomy
The many-banded aracari is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Pteroglossus pluricinctus
- Authority
- Gould, 1835
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Ramphastidae
- Genus
- Pteroglossus
Range and habitat
The many-banded aracari is found from northeastern Colombia and northwestern and southeastern Venezuela south through eastern Ecuador to northeastern Peru and east into northwestern Brazil north of the Amazon River and east to Roraima state. It primarily inhabits terra firme forest and to a lesser degree várzea and gallery forests. It mostly ranges up to 750 m (2,500 ft) of elevation but occurs as high as 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The many-banded aracari is believed to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The many-banded aracari forages singly, in pairs, or in small groups. It is primarily frugivorous and also includes insects, small birds and bird eggs, and lizards in its diet. It plays a role in seed dispersal of fruits with a dispersion range of hundreds of meters. It is likely to regurgitate seeds as opposed to excreting them.<p>The many-banded aracari's breeding season is thought to be between November and March in Colombia and Ecuador and from March to October in the rest of its range. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>The many-banded aracari's calls are variously described as "seeent", "seeet", "see-yeet", "kyseek", and "kyeek".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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