Black-billed Mountain-Toucan
Andigena nigrirostris
Distinctive toucan of montane forests in the Andes from Venezuela to extreme northwest Peru. Easy to identify with black cap, dark bill, white throat, powder blue belly, and mostly brownish upperparts. Occurs from 1,500-2,500m, typically below the elevational range of Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan but occasionally some overlap. Uncommon; usually found singly or in pairs in the forest canopy, often around fruiting trees.
Identification
The three subspecies of black-billed mountain toucan have almost the same plumage. They have a black cap and nape and bronzy upperparts with a pale yellow rump. Their tail is dark slate with chestnut tips on the central two or three pairs of feathers. Their face and throat are white becoming pale blue on the breast; their thighs are chestnut and their undertail coverts are red. Bare skin surrounds their eye; it is pale blue before it and yellow or orange behind. Subspecies A. n. occidentalis' plumage differs from that of the other two only by having darker chestnut thighs.<p>Within each subspecies both sexes have the same bill pattern but the female's bill is shorter. The nominate subspecies has an entirely black bill. A. n. spilorhynchus has a mostly black bill with some dark red at the base and on the upper part of the maxilla. A. n. occidentalis has a bill like that of spilorhynchus but the red of the maxilla extends more than half way along the culmen.
Taxonomy
The black-billed mountain toucan was originally described in genus Pteroglossus. Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate A. n. nigrirostris (Waterhouse, 1839), A. n. occidentalis (Chapman, 1915), and A. n. spilorhynchus (Gould, 1858).<p>A. n. spilorhynchus was originally described as the species Andigena spilorhynchus.
- Scientific name
- Andigena nigrirostris
- Authority
- (Waterhouse, 1839)
- Order
- Piciformes
- Family
- Ramphastidae
- Genus
- Andigena
Range and habitat
The subspecies of black-billed mountain toucan are found thus:<p>The black-billed mountain toucan inhabits a variety of landscapes including cloudforest, subtropical to temperate montane forest, and more open areas such as croplands near forest and open sites with scattered trees. In elevation it mostly ranges between 1,700 and 2,700 m (5,600 and 8,900 ft) but occurs rarely down to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) and has been found as high as 3,245 m (10,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
As far as is known, the black-billed mountain toucan is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The black-billed mountain toucan mostly forages in the forest's canopy, in pairs or in small family groups. Its diet is known to include several kinds of fruit and some insects, but details are lacking.<p>The black-billed mountain toucan's breeding season is from August to November in Venezuela. It is from March to August in Colombia, and in Ecuador is thought to be the same or earlier. Essentially nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>The black-billed mountain toucan makes "nasal 'gwaaak' notes...variable, notes can be drawn out, or yelp-like". It also makes bill-rattling or clacking that may be combined with the vocalization.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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