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]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Pteroglossus viridisGreen aracarilowland forests of northeastern South America (the Guiana Shield), in the northeast Amazon Basin, the Guianas and the eastern Orinoco River drainage of Venezuela
Pteroglossus inscriptusLettered aracariBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Pteroglossus bitorquatusRed-necked aracariBolivia and Brazil
Pteroglossus azaraIvory-billed aracariBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
Pteroglossus mariaeBrown-mandibled aracariBolivia, Brazil, and Peru
Pteroglossus aracariBlack-necked aracariBrazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Pteroglossus castanotisChestnut-eared aracariAmazon Basin, Paraguay, Bolivia, southeastern Brazil and the extreme northeast of Argentina
Pteroglossus pluricinctusMany-banded aracariBrazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
Pteroglossus torquatusCollared aracarisouthern Mexico to Panama; also Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica.
Pteroglossus sanguineusStripe-billed aracariColombia and Ecuador
Pteroglossus erythropygiusPale-mandibled aracariEcuador and Peru
Pteroglossus frantziiFiery-billed aracarisouthern Costa Rica and western Panama
Pteroglossus beauharnaisiiCurl-crested aracariAmazon Basin
Pteroglossus bailloniSaffron toucanetBrazil

Former species

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

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.
  • 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
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