Choco Toucan

Overview

The Choco toucan (Ramphastos brevis) is a near-passerine bird within the family Ramphastidae. It is a monotypic species found in Colombia and Ecuador, distinguished from the yellow-throated toucan by vocal differences and other characteristics.

Identification

• Length of 46 to 48.5 cm (18 to 19 in) and weight of 365 to 482 g (13 to 17 oz); the female's bill is shorter than the male's.
• Bill maxilla is mostly yellow with green on the culmen and a black triangle at the base, while the mandible is black with a possible yellow tip.
• Black crown and upperparts with a maroon tinge, white uppertail coverts, and a yellow throat and breast marked by a narrow red band below the breast.
• Call is a steadily repeated series of croaking 'kreeork' notes, sometimes speeded up into a 'kriik'.

Habitat

Restricted to the humid Chocó region from northwestern Colombia to southwestern Ecuador. It inhabits lowland and foothill forests, as well as pastures and plantations with fruiting trees adjoining forest, up to an elevation of about 1,550 m (5,100 ft).

Diet

The Choco toucan forages mostly in the forest canopy, consuming a diet that is mainly fruits and likely includes insects and small vertebrates. It has been observed following army ant swarms to feed on prey disturbed by them.

Did you know?

It is classified as one of the 'croaker' group of toucans, producing a steadily repeated series of croaking 'kreeork' notes that can be speeded up into a 'kriik'. It is also noted for clacking its bill and making grating sounds with a closed bill.