''Ramphastos'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...

s, tropical and subtropical

near passerine Near passerines and higher land-bird assemblage are terms of traditional, pre-cladistic taxonomy that have often been given to tree-dwelling birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines (order Passeriformes) owing to mor ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s from Mexico, and Central and South America (with one species occurring in the Caribbean), which are brightly marked and have enormous, often colourful, bills.Short, L. L., & Horne, J. F. M. (2002). Toucans (Ramphastidae). pp. 220–272 in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J. eds. (2002). '' Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 7 Jacamars to Woodpecker. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Taxonomy

The

''Ramphastos'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

in the tenth edition of his '' Systema Naturae''. The name is from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

ῥαμφηστης/''rhamphēstēs'' meaning "snouted" (from ῥαμφη/''rhampē'' meaning "bill"). The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

was later designated by Nicholas Aylward Vigors as the

white-throated toucan The white-throated toucan (''Ramphastos tucanus'') is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found in South America throughout the Amazon Basin including the adjacent Tocantins and Araguaia River drainage. It prefers tropical h ...

(''Ramphastos tucanus'').

Species

The genus contains eight species:

Former species

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

Green aracari The green araçari (''Pteroglossus viridis''), is a toucan, a near-passerine bird. It is found in the lowland forests of northeastern South America (the Guiana Shield), in the northeast Amazon Basin, the Guianas and the eastern Orinoco River drain ...

(as ''Ramphastos viridis'') *

Ivory-billed aracari The ivory-billed aracari or ivory-billed araçari (''Pteroglossus azara'') is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Ilif ...

(as ''Ramphastos Azara'') * Black-necked aracari (as ''Ramphastos Aracari'') * Black-necked aracari (atricollis) (as ''Ramphastos atricollis'') *

Collared aracari The collared aracari or collared araçari (''Pteroglossus torquatus'') is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found from Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The collared aracari was originally ...

(as ''Ramphastos torquatus'') *

Saffron toucanet The saffron toucanet (''Pteroglossus bailloni'') is a species of bird in the family Ramphastidae found in the Atlantic Forest in far north-eastern Argentina, south-eastern Brazil, and eastern Paraguay. Taxonomy and systematics This species' sci ...

(as ''Ramphastos Bailloni'')

Description

This genus comprises the largest toucans, ranging from in length. All have black wings, tails and thighs, but the colour of the remaining plumage depends on the exact species involved.

Diversity of bills

Keel-billed toucan, costa rica.jpg, Keel-billed toucan
(''Ramphastos sulfuratus'') Channel-billed toucan t t.jpg,

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. Taxonomy an ...

(''Ramphastos vitellinus vitellinus'') Ramphastos dicolorus -Brazil-8.jpg,

Green-billed toucan The green-billed toucan (''Ramphastos dicolorus''), or red-breasted toucan, is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae, the toucans, toucanets, and aracaris. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Taxonomy and systematics ...

(''Ramphastos dicolorus'') Ramphastos swainsonii -back -Buffalo Zoo-8a.jpg, Chestnut-mandibled toucan
(''Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii'') Red-billed toucan 31l07.JPG,

White-throated toucan The white-throated toucan (''Ramphastos tucanus'') is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found in South America throughout the Amazon Basin including the adjacent Tocantins and Araguaia River drainage. It prefers tropical h ...

, (''Ramphastos tucanus'') Toco toucan london.jpg,

Toco toucan The toco toucan (''Ramphastos toco''), also known as the common toucan or giant toucan, is the largest and probably the best known species in the toucan family. It is found in semi-open habitats throughout a large part of central and eastern Sou ...

(''Ramphastos toco'')

Distribution and habitat

They are essentially resident birds, but may take part in minor, local movements (e.g., to lower altitudes in the winter).

Behaviour and ecology

Breeding

They are

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

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

ischnocera The Ischnocera is a large superfamily of lice. They are mostly parasitic on birds, but including a large family (the Trichodectidae) parasitic on mammals. The genus '' Trichophilopterus'' is also found on mammals (lemurs), but probably belongs ...

n louse '' Austrophilopterus cancellosus'' is suspected to parasitize all species of ''Ramphastos'' toucans. Its presence has been confirmed on all species except the citron-throated toucan.Price, Roger D. & Weckstein, Jason D. (2005). ''The genus ''Austrophilopterus'' Ewing (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) from toucans, toucanets, and araçaris (Piciformes: Ramphastidae).''

Zootaxa ''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week ...

918: 1–18
PDF fulltext
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References

External links

Toucans Bird genera {{Piciformes-stub