''Ramphastos'' is a genus of toucans, tropical and subtropical near passerine birds 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 The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...

.'' Vol. 7 Jacamars to Woodpecker. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Ramphastos'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his ''

Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...

''. The name is from Ancient Greek ῥαμφηστης/''rhamphēstēs'' meaning "snouted" (from ῥαμφη/''rhampē'' meaning "bill"). The type species was later designated by

Nicholas Aylward Vigors Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system. Early life Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow on 17 ...

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 (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 The black-necked aracari or black-necked araçari (''Pteroglossus aracari'') is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The blac ...

(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' scie ...

(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 Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

depends on the exact species involved.

Diversity of bills

Keel-billed toucan, costa rica.jpg,

Keel-billed toucan The keel-billed toucan (''Ramphastos sulfuratus''), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. The species is found in tropical jungl ...

(''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 and ...

(''Ramphastos vitellinus vitellinus'') Ramphastos dicolorus -Brazil-8.jpg, Green-billed toucan (''Ramphastos dicolorus'') Ramphastos swainsonii -back -Buffalo Zoo-8a.jpg,

Chestnut-mandibled toucan The chestnut-mandibled toucan or Swainson's toucan (''Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii'') is a subspecies of the yellow-throated toucan which breeds from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia to western Ecuador. Taxonomy and systematics The scien ...

(''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
(''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 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 ...

louse Louse ( : lice) is the common name for any member of the clade Phthiraptera, which contains nearly 5,000 species of wingless parasitic insects. Phthiraptera has variously been recognized as an order, infraorder, or a parvorder, as a result o ...

'' Austrophilopterus cancellosus'' is suspected to

parasitize Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...

all species of ''Ramphastos'' toucans. Its presence has been confirmed on all species except the

citron-throated toucan The citron-throated toucan (''Ramphastos citreolaemus'') is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae, the toucans, toucanets, and aracaris. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Taxonomy and systematics The citron-throated toucan is ...

.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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References

External links

Toucans Bird genera {{Piciformes-stub