Channel-Billed Toucan
Channel-Billed Toucan
The channel-billed toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus) is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and in tropical South America as far south as southern Brazil and central Bolivia.

General Information:

Common Name:Channel-Billed Toucan 
Scientific Name:Ramphastos vitellinus
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order:Piciformes
Family:Ramphastidae

Description

The channel-billed toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus) is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and in tropical South America as far south as southern Brazil and central Bolivia. Like other toucans, the channel-billed is brightly marked and has a huge bill. It is typically 48 cm (19 in) long with a 9–14 cm (3½-5½ in) bill. It weighs 300–430 g (11–15 oz)

Distribution

Ramphastos vitellinus has an extensive range from easternmost Colombia, east through Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, to northern Amazonian Brazil.

Habitat

Found in forest and woodland. Prefers humid regions, but locally extends into drier regions especially along rivers. 

Mating Habits

The parents are both active in raising the young. The white eggs are laid in a high unlined tree cavity. There is a gestation period of 18 days, and the parents both incubate for 15 to 16 days. However, they can be impatient sitters, often leaving their eggs uncovered for hours at a time. Newborn toucans remain in the nest after hatching. They are blind and naked at birth, and their eyes open after about 3 weeks. They have short bills and specialized pads on their heels to protect them from the rough floor of the nest. The feathers do not begin to expand until they are nearly 4 weeks old. They are helpless and unable to leave the nest for about 8 weeks, dependent upon both parents to feed them. After this, the young can care for themselves. They begin to leave the nest after 40 to 50 days, depending on size.

Diet

Toucans are primarily frugivorous (fruit eating), but are opportunistically omnivorous and will take prey such as insects, smaller birds, and small lizards. Captive toucans have been reported to hunt insects actively in their cages, and it is possible to keep toucans on an insect-only diet.

Threats
  1. The primary threat to this species is accelerating deforestation in the Amazon basin as land is cleared for cattle ranching and soy production, facilitated by expansion of the road network.
  2. It is also declining because of hunting pressure although consumption of this species by forest dwellers in Amazonia is rare. 


IUCN Status

Vulnerable