Channel-billed Toucan
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| Ramphastos vitellinus Lichtenstein, 1823 |
The Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus) is a near-passerine bird which breeds in Trinidad and in tropical South America east of the Andes and as far south as southern Brazil. The western form of this bird, the Yellow-ridged Toucan, was previously considered to be a separate species, Ramphastos culminatus, but the two races readily interbreed. However, the southeastern Amazonian subspecies R. v. ariel is closer to R. v. vitellinus than the nominate, the two former being already close to distinct species status. There also exists an isolated population looking like R. v. ariel in southeastern Brazil, but molecular analysis suggests that it may be a population that has been isolated for a long time and is a yet-undescribed separate species (Weckstein, 2005)
This species is a resident breeder in moist lowland forest. The white eggs are laid in a high unlined tree cavity.
Like other toucans, the Channel-billed is brightly marked and has a huge bill. It is typically 48cm long with a 9-14cm bill. Sexes are similar. Both sexes are alike in appearance, and they are both active in raising the young. There is have a gestation period of 18 days, and the parents both incubate for 15 to 16 days. However, they can be impatient sitters, often leaving their eggs uncovered for hours at a time. Newborn toucans remain in the nest after hatching. They are blind and naked at birth, and their eyes open after about 3 weeks. They have short bills and specialized pads on their heels to protect them from the rough floor of the nest. The featheres do not begin to expand until they are nearly 4 weeks old. They're helpless and unable to leave the nest for about 8 weeks, dependent upon both parents to feed them. After this, the young can care for themselves. They begin to leave the nest after 40 to 50 days, depending on size.
The eastern nominate race has a black bill, upperparts and tail, and a red rump. The bare eyepatch and bill base are blue, the throat is white and the breast shows successive bands of yellow, whitish and red before reaching the black belly. The undertail is black apart from red undertail coverts.
The subspecies culminatus has a yellow top ridge to its black bill, and the throat and breast are white, with just a red band separating the latter from the black belly.
The Channel-billed Toucan is an arboreal fruit-eater, but will take insects and other small prey. The call is a croaking cree-op cree-op cree-op.
Also when pulled from the nest hand fed as babies they can eventually make pets. They do however require spacious cages to hop back and forth from because of their active nature, and require toys in their cage to prevent boredom. Their high fruit diet and sensitivity to hemochromotosis (iron storage disease) make them difficult for the novice keeper to maintain. Also they fling their fruit so the potential owner should be prepared to clean up dried fruit. They are expensive birds to maintain.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Ramphastos vitellinus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Hilty, Steven L. (2002): Birds of Venezuela. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
- Weckstein, Jason D. (2005): Molecular Phylogenetics of the Ramphastos Toucans: Implications for the Evolution of Morphology, Vocalizations, and Coloration. Auk 122(4): 1191–1209. PDF fulltext. Erratum in Auk 123(2): 610 (2006).
- ffrench, Richard F.: Birds of Trinidad and Tobago. ISBN 0-7136-6759-1
[edit] External links
- Channel-billed Toucan videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Bibliography of online, ornithological articles which explore the natural history of the Channel-billed toucan, Ramphastos vitellinus vitellinus.
