Aracari

An aracari or araçari (US: /ˌɑːrəˈsɑːri/ AR-ə-SAR-ee,[1] UK: /ˌærəˈsɑːri/ ARR-ə-SAR-ee, /-ˈkɑːri/ -⁠KAR-ee)[2] is any of the medium-sized toucans that, together with the saffron toucanet, make up the genus Pteroglossus.

Aracaris
Pale-mandibled aracari Pteroglossus erythropygius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Ramphastidae
Genus:	Pteroglossus Illiger, 1811
Species
14 (incl. the saffron toucanet), see text.
Synonyms
Beauharnaisius

They are brightly plumaged and have enormous, contrastingly patterned bills. These birds are residents in forests and woodlands in the Neotropics.

Taxonomy and systematics

One species, the distinctive saffron toucanet, was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Baillonius, but Kimura et al. (2004) showed that it belongs in the genus Pteroglossus.[3]

Extant species

Fourteen species are considered to belong to the genus Pteroglossus:[4]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Pteroglossus viridis	Green aracari	lowland forests of northeastern South America (the Guiana Shield), in the northeast Amazon Basin, the Guianas and the eastern Orinoco River drainage of Venezuela
	Pteroglossus inscriptus	Lettered aracari	Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
	Pteroglossus bitorquatus	Red-necked aracari	Bolivia and Brazil
	Pteroglossus azara	Ivory-billed aracari	Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
	Pteroglossus mariae	Brown-mandibled aracari	Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru
	Pteroglossus aracari	Black-necked aracari	Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
	Pteroglossus castanotis	Chestnut-eared aracari	Amazon Basin, Paraguay, Bolivia, southeastern Brazil and the extreme northeast of Argentina
	Pteroglossus pluricinctus	Many-banded aracari	Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
	Pteroglossus torquatus	Collared aracari	southern Mexico to Panama; also Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica.
	Pteroglossus sanguineus	Stripe-billed aracari	Colombia and Ecuador
	Pteroglossus erythropygius	Pale-mandibled aracari	Ecuador and Peru
	Pteroglossus frantzii	Fiery-billed aracari	southern Costa Rica and western Panama
	Pteroglossus beauharnaisii	Curl-crested aracari	Amazon Basin
	Pteroglossus bailloni	Saffron toucanet	Brazil

Former species

Some authorities, either presently or formerly, recognize additional species or subspecies as species belonging to the genus Pteroglossus including:

• Wagler's toucanet (as Pteroglossus wagleri)[5]
• Emerald toucanet (as Pteroglossus prasinus)[6]
• White-throated toucanet (as Pteroglossus albivitta)[7]
• Black-throated toucanet (as Pteroglossus atrogularis)[8]
• Groove-billed toucanet (as Pteroglossus sulcatus)[9]
• Crimson-rumped toucanet (as Pteroglossus haematopygus)[10]
• Guianan toucanet (as Pteroglossus Culik)[11]
• Golden-collared toucanet (as Pteroglossus reinwardtii)[12]
• Langsdorff's toucanet (as Pteroglossus langsdorffii)[13]
• Tawny-tufted toucanet (as Pteroglossus nattereri)[14]
• Gould's toucanet (as Pteroglossus gouldii)[15]
• Spot-billed toucanet (as Pteroglossus maculirostris)[16]
• Gray-breasted mountain toucan (as Pteroglossus hypoglaucus)[17]
• Hooded mountain toucan (as Pteroglossus cucullatus)[18]
• Black-billed mountain toucan (as Pteroglossus nigrirostris)[19]

Behaviour and ecology

Some species of aracaris are unusual for toucans in that they roost socially throughout the year, up to six adults and fledged young sleeping in the same hole with tails folded over their backs.

Breeding

They are arboreal and nest in tree holes laying 2–4 white eggs.

Food and feeding

All the species are basically fruit-eating, but will take insects and other small prey.

Threats

The ischnoceran louse Austrophilopterus flavirostris is suspected to parasitize most if not all species of aracaris, with the possible exception of the green aracari (Price & Weckstein 2005).

References

1. "Aracari". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.). Retrieved 2012-04-20.
2. "Definition for aracari". Oxford Dictionaries Online. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
3. "South American Classification Committee". Merge Baillonius into Pteroglossus. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
4. "Jacamars, puffbirds, toucans, barbets & honeyguides « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
5. "Aulacorhynchus wagleri - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
6. "Aulacorhynchus prasinus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
7. "Aulacorhynchus albivitta - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
8. "Aulacorhynchus atrogularis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
9. "Aulacorhynchus sulcatus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
10. "Aulacorhynchus haematopygus - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
11. "Selenidera piperivora - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
12. "Selenidera reinwardtii - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
13. "Selenidera reinwardtii langsdorffii - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
14. "Selenidera nattereri - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
15. "Selenidera gouldii - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
16. "Selenidera maculirostris - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
17. "Andigena hypoglauca - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
18. "Andigena cucullata - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-29.
19. "Andigena nigrirostris - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-29.

• BirdLife International 2004. Pteroglossus bailloni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 27 July 2007.
• Price, Roger D. & Weckstein, Jason D. (2005): The genus Austrophilopterus Ewing (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) from toucans, toucanets, and araçaris (Piciformes: Ramphastidae). Zootaxa 918: 1-18. PDF fulltext

External links

• Extensive Gallery on Toucans
• List of Toucans
• Toucan videos on the Internet Bird Collection