Aracari

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.

An aracari or araçari (US /ˌɑːrəˈsɑːri/ AHR-ə-SAHR-ee,[1] UK /ˌɑrəˈsɑːri/ ARR-ə-SAHR-ee or /ˌɑrəˈkɑːri/ ARR-ə-KAHR-ee)[2] is any of the medium-sized toucans that, together with the saffron toucanet, make up the genus Pteroglossus.

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

Diet

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

Nesting

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

Social behavior

At least 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.

Parasite

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).

Taxonomy

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]

Species list

References

  1. ↑ "Aracari". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.). Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  2. ↑ "Definition for aracari". Oxford Dictionaries Online. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  3. ↑ "South American Classification Committee". Merge Baillonius into Pteroglossus. Retrieved 2007-09-16.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pteroglossus.