Pale-mandibled Aracari

The pale-mandibled aracari or pale-billed araçari (''Pteroglossus erythropygius'') is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022

Taxonomy and systematics

The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's '' Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) recognize the pale-mandibled (pale-billed) aracari as a species.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022 However, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy treat it as a subspecies of the collared aracari (''P. torquatus'').Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022

The pale-mandibled aracari is monotypic.

Description

The pale-mandibled aracari is long including its bill. It weighs . Males and females have the same coloration of the bill and plumage but the female's bill is shorter than the male's. The adult's bill has a narrow vertical white line at its base. Its maxilla is creamy yellow with a black stripe along its lower edge. The bill's mandible is creamy yellow with a black tip. Adults have mostly glossy black upperparts with bright red lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts. Their head, throat, and uppermost breast are greenish black. Their lower breast, belly, and undertail coverts are yellow. The breast has a variable red wash and a black spot in its center; the upper belly is crossed by a narrow red and black band. Their thighs are brown. Juveniles are much duller than adults, with a sooty-black head and chest and brownish olive upperparts. The red rump and yellow underparts are paler, and the breast spot, belly band, and bill pattern are indistinct.Green, C. and R. Kannan (2020). Collared Aracari (''Pteroglossus torquatus''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.colara1.01 retrieved December 23, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The pale-mandibled aracari is found from northwestern Ecuador's Esmeraldas Province south into Peru's Department of Tumbes. It inhabits the interior and edges of evergreen primary forest and mature secondary forest and also coffee, cacao, and fruit plantations.

Behavior

Social behavior

Pale-mandibled aracaris typically travel in groups of about six to eight or more individuals that sometimes include other toucan species. They also roost communally; up to seven may occupy a cavity overnight.

Feeding

The pale-mandibled aracari's diet is mostly fruit but it also feeds on large insects, the eggs and nestlings of other birds, and other small vertebrates. It mostly forages from the forest's mid level to the canopy but will feed on fruits in the understory. They glean fruit by stretching from a perch, bending, and even hanging upside down. They regurgitate large fruit seeds which often remain viable.

Breeding

The pale-mandibled aracari's breeding season is from December to May. It nests in tree cavities, usually those excavated by large woodpeckers but also natural ones. They may enlarge the cavity, which can be up to above the ground. The clutch size is usually three eggs but can be as large as five. The incubation period is 16 to 17 days and both parents incubate. Fledging occurs 26 to 30 days after hatch. The parents and often up to three other adults provision the nestlings. They are fed mostly with insects when young.

Vocalization

The pale-mandibled aracari's usual call is "a loud, arresting, high-pitched, and squeaky 'ksisik' or 'ksiyik!'."

Status

The IUCN has assessed the pale-mandibled aracari as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. " though it tolerates secondary forest, it nonetheless is very susceptible to deforestation".

Gallery

Pteroglossus erythropygius-Gould.jpg
Pale-mandibled Aracari 1 JCB.jpg
Pteroglossus erythropygius -Dallas World Aquarium, USA-8a.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q841104

pale-mandibled aracari
Birds of Ecuador
Birds of the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
pale-mandibled aracari
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot