Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Chestnut-eared Toucan
- Scientific name: Chestnut-eared Aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis)
- Classification: Climbing birds
- Family and genus: Toucanidae, order Toucanidae, genus Toucan
Vital signs data
- Body length: No verification information available.
- Weight: No verification information available.
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
Distribution and Habitat
The Chestnut-eared Toucan is found in South America (including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands).
The Chestnut-eared Toucan inhabits warm forests and edge areas, and prefers to perch on treetops.
Appearance
The Chestnut-eared Toucan has a black upper body, a deep red rump, and a head that is typically black and chestnut. Its underparts are predominantly yellow with a red stripe forming a large rump patch. The long beak displays a variety of colors, including black with yellow, orange, and red. The beak edges are generally distinctly serrated, and the exterior is black or ivory, somewhat resembling teeth. Despite its large beak, the Chestnut-eared Toucan weighs less than 30 grams. Its beak bone structure is unique; it is not a dense solid but rather has a thin outer shell with a porous, spongy tissue filled with extremely fine fibers running through it, allowing it to feel no pressure.
The tufted-tongue toucan is one of the few toucan species with obvious sexual dimorphism; the sex of chicks can be determined by their plumage when they are four weeks old.
Detailed introduction
The Chestnut-eared Aracari, scientifically known as Pteroglossus castanotis, gets its name from the brown feathers around its ears.
The Chestnut-eared Toucan is also one of the noisiest forest birds, capable of producing booming, horn-like, and piercing calls. Its nest is built high in tree cavities. When eating, it first pecks at its food with the tip of its beak, then tilts its neck back, tosses the food upwards, and then opens its large beak to accurately swallow it, avoiding the time spent swallowing through its long beak. The Chestnut-eared Toucan is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, and insects.
The Chestnut-eared Toucan nests in tree cavities, sometimes raiding nests of smaller birds and eating the eggs and chicks. It lays 2-4 eggs at a time. The smooth, white eggs are laid in an unlined cavity and incubate for about 16 days. The hatchlings are completely naked and take at least three weeks to open their eyes. They begin living their own lives about 45 days after hatching.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 ver 3.1.
It is listed in Appendix III of the 2019 edition of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Protect wild animals and ban the consumption of wild game.
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