Yellow-throated toucan

Appearance

This species has a total length of 47–61 cm and weighs from 584 to 746 g. Among all toucans and living members of the Piciformes order, only the toco toucan and the white-throated toucan average larger than the similarly-sized black-mandibled and chestnut-mandibled races. Among standard measurements, the short wing chord is 20.4 to 24.8 cm, the huge bill is 12.9 to 20 cm, the tail is 14.8 to 17.5 cm, and the tarsus is 4.7 to 5.9 cm.

Its plumage is mainly black. Upper breast and throat are bright yellow, with a thin red border on the throat, a creamy rump and a scarlet anal area. The bill is bicolor and massive, a little shorter in the female. It is lemon-yellowish on the upper side and blackish on the rest of the maxilla and on the mandible, often brown close to the base. The skin of the face around the eyes is pale green or yellow-green.

Naming

Three subspecies are recognized:
⤷  Chestnut-mandibled toucan - : Originally described as a separate species. Found in south-eastern Honduras to western Ecuador
⤷  "R. a. ambiguus" - Swainson, 1823: Found in south-western Colombia to south-central Peru
⤷  "R. a. abbreviatus" - Cabanis, 1862: Originally described as a separate species. Found in north-eastern Colombia and northern Venezuela

Distribution

The yellow-throated toucan ranges along the eastern slope of the Andes from Peru, north through Ecuador and Colombia, to Venezuela as far as the coastal ranges.

This species is adapted to a wide variety of habitats, from plains to tropical and subtropical forests. It lives at altitudes of 100–2400 m. in humid montane forests, with a preference for the canopy and edge.

Behavior

The call of the yellow-throated toucan is a yelping, far-carrying cry described as “Díos te dé”. This species feeds mainly on fruits, but occasionally on lizards, rodents, smaller birds and insects.

The breeding season lasts from March to June. The nests are usually located in a cavity in rotting wood at 10–25 meters above the ground. The females lay 2-4 white eggs incubating for about two weeks.

Habitat

The yellow-throated toucan ranges along the eastern slope of the Andes from Peru, north through Ecuador and Colombia, to Venezuela as far as the coastal ranges.

This species is adapted to a wide variety of habitats, from plains to tropical and subtropical forests. It lives at altitudes of 100–2400 m. in humid montane forests, with a preference for the canopy and edge.The call of the yellow-throated toucan is a yelping, far-carrying cry described as “Díos te dé”. This species feeds mainly on fruits, but occasionally on lizards, rodents, smaller birds and insects.

The breeding season lasts from March to June. The nests are usually located in a cavity in rotting wood at 10–25 meters above the ground. The females lay 2-4 white eggs incubating for about two weeks.