Perched Red Breasted Toucan, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

  The Red Breasted Toucan is the smallest species of Ramphastos. This also is the most southern species of toucan, occuring from east central Brazil south to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In parts of its range, in southeastern Brazil, the Red-breasted Toucan overlaps geographically with a distinctive subspecies (ariel) of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus). Both of these toucans are superficially similar, with an orange throat and breast, red belly and tail coverts, and red orbital skin. But they easily can be distinguished by bill color: mostly black in Channel-billed, and mostly light green in Red-breasted. These two species also have similar “croaking” vocalizations, although the calls of Red-breasted are more raucous. The two species tend to segregate by elevation, with Red-breasted in montane forests and Channel-billed restricted to the lowlands. It is one of the smallest species of Ramphastos toucans, weighing 265–400 grams (9.4–14.2 oz.) and measuring 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long in total.[2] Its beak is one of the shortest of Ramphastos toucans at only about 10 cm (4 in) in length. Its breast is actually orange, with yellow at the sides. The beak is mostly pale greenish-horn, leading to its common name. In aviculture, their requirement of […]

Preening Red Breasted Toucan, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Red Breasted Toucan is the smallest species of Ramphastos. This also is the most southern species of toucan, occuring from east central Brazil south to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In parts of its range, in southeastern Brazil, the Red-breasted Toucan overlaps geographically with a distinctive subspecies (ariel) of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus). Both of these toucans are superficially similar, with an orange throat and breast, red belly and tail coverts, and red orbital skin. But they easily can be distinguished by bill color: mostly black in Channel-billed, and mostly light green in Red-breasted. These two species also have similar “croaking” vocalizations, although the calls of Red-breasted are more raucous. The two species tend to segregate by elevation, with Red-breasted in montane forests and Channel-billed restricted to the lowlands. It is one of the smallest species of Ramphastos toucans, weighing 265–400 grams (9.4–14.2 oz.) and measuring 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long in total.[2] Its beak is one of the shortest of Ramphastos toucans at only about 10 cm (4 in) in length. Its breast is actually orange, with yellow at the sides. The beak is mostly pale greenish-horn, leading to its common name. In aviculture, their requirement of spacious cages, […]

Ruffled Green billed toucan, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Green billed Toucan is the smallest species of Ramphastos. This also is the most southern species of toucan, occuring from east central Brazil south to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In parts of its range, in southeastern Brazil, the Red-breasted Toucan overlaps geographically with a distinctive subspecies (ariel) of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus). Both of these toucans are superficially similar, with an orange throat and breast, red belly and tail coverts, and red orbital skin. But they easily can be distinguished by bill color: mostly black in Channel-billed, and mostly light green in Red-breasted. These two species also have similar “croaking” vocalizations, although the calls of Red-breasted are more raucous. The two species tend to segregate by elevation, with Red-breasted in montane forests and Channel-billed restricted to the lowlands. It is one of the smallest species of Ramphastos toucans, weighing 265–400 grams (9.4–14.2 oz.) and measuring 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long in total.[2] Its beak is one of the shortest of Ramphastos toucans at only about 10 cm (4 in) in length. Its breast is actually orange, with yellow at the sides. The beak is mostly pale greenish-horn, leading to its common name. In aviculture, their requirement of spacious cages, a […]

Green billed toucan in the rain, Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil

The Green billed Toucan is the smallest species of Ramphastos. This also is the most southern species of toucan, occuring from east central Brazil south to eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In parts of its range, in southeastern Brazil, the Red-breasted Toucan overlaps geographically with a distinctive subspecies (ariel) of Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus). Both of these toucans are superficially similar, with an orange throat and breast, red belly and tail coverts, and red orbital skin. But they easily can be distinguished by bill color: mostly black in Channel-billed, and mostly light green in Red-breasted. These two species also have similar “croaking” vocalizations, although the calls of Red-breasted are more raucous. The two species tend to segregate by elevation, with Red-breasted in montane forests and Channel-billed restricted to the lowlands. It is one of the smallest species of Ramphastos toucans, weighing 265–400 grams (9.4–14.2 oz.) and measuring 40–46 cm (16–18 in) long in total.[2] Its beak is one of the shortest of Ramphastos toucans at only about 10 cm (4 in) in length. Its breast is actually orange, with yellow at the sides. The beak is mostly pale greenish-horn, leading to its common name. In aviculture, their requirement of spacious cages, […]

Green headed tanager about to take off; Atlantic Rainforest; Brazil

The green headed tanager (Tangara seledon) is a brightly-colored bird found in the Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, and far north-eastern Argentina (Misiones only). As other members of the genus Tangara, it is a small colorful bird, measuring an average of 13.5 centimeters (5.3 in) and a mass of 18g (0.6 oz). The Green-headed Tanager has a greenish or bluish head, black on the back, and a contrastingly colored, orange or red rump. Females and juvenile birds have similar, though duller coloration. While essentially a bird of humid forests, it is also common in orchards and parks, where it moves through the canopy, making itself inconspicuous, as its apparently flashy blue-green coloration camouflages it well amongst the foliage. They usually travel in small flocks, either on their own or in association with a larger mixed-species flock. The diet consists both of fruit and arthropods; when foraging for arthropods, they hop along slender to medium-sized branches, and glean prey from branch surfaces and from leaves. The sister species to the Green-headed Tanager is the Seven-colored Tanager (Tangara fastuosa), a similar tanager found in northeastern Brazil. Although the behavior and plumage pattern of the Green-headed and Seven-colored tanagers are […]