Lettered Aracari

Overview

The lettered aracari is a near-passerine bird belonging to the toucan family. It is found across various parts of South America, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Identification

• Measures 33 to 35.5 cm in length with males possessing longer bills than females.
• The nominate subspecies has a black head with bare blue, violet grey, and red skin around the eye, while females feature chestnut on the throat and sides of the head.
• Upperparts, wings, and tail are dark green with a crimson rump, complemented by a yellow breast and belly marked with pale buff cinnamon blotches.
• The bill displays a complex pattern of yellow and black, including distinctive 'script' markings along the lower edge.

Habitat

This species inhabits a variety of lowland evergreen forest types in the upper Amazon basin, including várzea, terra firme, secondary and gallery forests, and forested islands. It generally ranges up to an elevation of 500 m but can locally occur as high as 900 m.

Diet

Foraging primarily takes place in the canopy, though the birds may descend to the ground when following army ants. The diet consists mostly of fruit and small arthropods, and the species is also known to prey on the eggs and young of other bird species.

Did you know?

The bird's name derives from the complex pattern of black 'script' markings on its bill. It also produces a non-vocal 'bill rattle' sound that is thought to be used in agonistic encounters.