Collared aracari

Collared aracari
In Belize
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Ramphastidae
Genus:	Pteroglossus
Species:	P. torquatus
Binomial name
Pteroglossus torquatus (Gmelin, 1788)
Subspecies
See text
Synonyms
Ramphastos torquatus

The collared aracari or collared araçari (Pteroglossus torquatus) is a toucan, a near-passerine bird. It breeds from southern Mexico(North America) to Panama; also Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Taxonomy and systematics[]

The collared aracari was originally classified in the genus Ramphastos. Alternate names include the banded aracari, ringed aracari and spot-chested aracari.

Subspecies[]

Three subspecies are recognized:^[2]

• P. t. torquatus - (Gmelin, 1788): Found in eastern-central Mexico to north-western Colombia
• P. t. erythrozonus - Ridgway, 1912: Found in south-eastern Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala
• P. t. nuchalis - Cabanis, 1862: Originally described as a separate species. Found in north-eastern Colombia and northern Venezuela

Some authorities consider the stripe-billed aracari and the pale-mandibled aracari to also be subspecies of the collared aracari.^[3][4]

Description[]

The red collar, which gives the bird its name, is visible on the back of the neck of this Costa Rican bird.

Front

Like other toucans, the collared aracari is brightly marked and has a large bill. The adult is typically 39–41 cm (15.5–16 in) long and weighs 190–275 g (6.7–9.7 oz)^[5] The sexes are alike in appearance, with a black head and chest and dark olive green upperparts, apart from a red rump and upper tail. There is reddish collar on the rear neck which gives rise to the English and scientific (torquatus) names. The underparts are bright yellow, with a round black spot in the centre of the breast and a red-tinted black band across the belly. The thighs are chestnut.

The bare facial skin is black, becoming ruddy behind the yellow eye. The upper mandible of the bill is dull yellow, marked with a black saw-tooth pattern on the cutting edge, and a black tip. The lower mandible is black, and the legs are green.

Juvenile collared aracaris are much duller, with sooty-black head and brownish green upperparts. The red rump and yellow underparts are paler, and the breast spot, belly band and bill pattern are indistinct.

The call of the collared aracari is a loud, sharp pseek, or peeseek.

Behaviour and ecology[]

Small flocks, usually consisting of 6-15 birds, move through the forest with a rapid direct flight.

Breeding[]

Upper body

The collared aracari is a common resident breeder in lowland forests and slightly more open woodland. The 3 white eggs are laid in an unlined natural cavity or old woodpecker nest high in a tree.

Both sexes incubate the eggs for about 16 days, and the toucan chicks remain in the nest after hatching. They are blind and naked at birth, and have short bills and specialised pads on their heels to protect them from the rough floor of the nest. They are fed by both parents, assisted by up to three other adults, probably from a previous brood, and fledge after about 6 weeks, with feeding by the adults continuing for several weeks after leaving the nest.

The 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.

Food and feeding[]

This species is primarily an arboreal fruit-eater, but will also take insects, lizards, eggs, and other small prey.

References[]

• A guide to the birds of Costa Rica by Stiles and Skutch ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

External links[]

• Patel, Swati; Weckstein, Jason D; Patané, José SL; Bates, John M; Aleixo, Alexandre (2011). "Temporal and spatial diversification of Pteroglossus araçaris (AVES: Ramphastidae) in the neotropics: Constant rate of diversification does not support an increase in radiation during the Pleistocene". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 58 (1): 105–115. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.10.016. PMID 21055476.
• Skutch, Alexander F (1958). "Roosting and Nesting of Araçari Toucans". The Condor. 60 (4): 201–219. doi:10.2307/1365190. JSTOR 1365190.
• Santana, Eduardo; Moermond, Timothy C; Denslow, Julie Sloan (1986). "Fruit selection in the collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) and the slaty-tailed Trogon (Trogon massena): Two birds with contrasting foraging modes". Brenesia (25–26): 279–95.
• Green, Chase; Kannan, Ragupathy (2017). "Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus)". Neotropical Birds. doi:10.2173/nb.colara1.01.
• El Jardín Diostede information on raising and keeping collared aracaris as pets
• Collared aracari videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
• Stamps (for Belize, El Salvador) with RangeMap
• Collared aracari in captivity
• Collared aracari photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)