Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Pantanal, Brazil • Aug 2011

Bird name: Chestnut Eared Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus castano
Other: Araçari-de-pescoço-vermelho (Br) • Tucanillo (Es)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: W Amazonia to SE Brazil
Similar: Many-banded Aracari

The Chestnut-eared Aracari was the most frequently seen of the toucan family, on my recent trip to Mato Grosso. In the Pantanal I saw them at Curicaca Lodge and Pouso Alegre, then again in Chapada das Guimaraes and Alta Floresta. In the Pantanal it seemed to be the only Aracari in its range.

The Chestnut-eared Aracari head colour ranges from black to chestnut, though usually at least the side of the head is chestnut coloured. The white iris is diagnostic. In Brazil, only the Many-banded Aracari also has light irises, but it only lives in the far north-west, near Ecuador, it lacks the chestnut head colouring and black stripe on upper mandible, and has additional black markings to chest.

The upper bill of the Chestnut-eared Aracari is serrated - the dark parts look like they wear away leaving the white parts as teeth.

Below, close-up of Chestnut-eared Aracari, Pantanal, Brazil • Aug 2011
More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Rio Azul, Brazil • Sept 2011

Bird name: Red Necked Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus bitorquatus
Other: Araçari-de-pescoço-vermelho (Br)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: S Amazonia
Similar:

Red-necked Aracaris near open farmland in Para, Brazil, September.

The head is a deep chestnut red colour, but so dark it can look black.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Rio Azul, Brazil • Sept 2011

Bird name: Curl Crested Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus beauharnaesii
Other: araçari-mulato (Br)• arasarí crespo (Es)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: W Amazonia, incl Brazil
Similar:

Rio Azul Lodge had several Curl-crested Aracaris visiting not far from the lodge, in degraded semi-open forest.

Purple, sky-blue and orange on upper bill, white lower bill, pale blue around eye, “curly hair”. The bird pictured above had no red on belly (maybe juvenile?), a little on flank, but many adults birds have the red band typical of many aracaris.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Upper Napo, Ecuador, Mar 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Lettered Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus inscriptus
Other: Arasari Letreado (Es), Araçari-letrado (Br)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: W, S Amazonia including east Ecuador, Brazil
Similar:

Lettered Aracari were seen perching high up, on several occasions, in the Upper Napo region of Ecuadorian Amazonia. They are so named because of the inky markings on their upper bill. Like many other aracaris they often sit perched with a small fruit in their bills. Attractive birds and not uncommon.

Bill markings vary widely from individual to individual, some with few thick black lines, others with many thinner lines. The Ecuadorian subspecies pictured above is Pteroglossus inscriptus humboldti, which has a completely black lower bill.

The nominate subspecies, pictured below, lives in Brazil east of the Rio Madeira tributary of the Amazon, has much yellow on the lower bill, a black mark at base of lower mandible and black at tip.

Below, the Brazilian subspecies in flight. Bill mostly yellow. Para, Brazil, September.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Silanche, Ecuador, Feb 2011 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Pale Mandibled Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus erythropygius
Other: Arasari Piquipálido (Es) - split from P. torquatus, Collared Aracari
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: Western Ecuador
Similar: Stripe Billed Aracari

I had good views of several Pale Mandibled Aracaris, first at the Rio Silanche Reserve, from the observation tower and in the forest, and then again at El Monte Lodge in Mindo.

The Pale Mandibled Aracari, which is split from the Collared Aracari complex, is best identified by its light lower bill, and one black band on the yellow belly with a smudge or dot on the chest.

More photos...

Copyright: TC/monacoeye • Sacha Lodge, Ecuador, Oct 2010 • Do not copy

Bird name: Many Banded Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus pluricinctus
Other: Arasari bifajeado (Es) • Araçari-de-cinta-dupla (Br)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: NW Amazonia including E Ecuador
Similar:

Many thanks to Tom for adding his photos of the Many-Banded Aracari to this collection. On my recent visit to Ecuador, I didn’t venture very deep into Amazonia, so missed this beautiful aracari. I believe he saw it at Sacha Lodge in the Lower Napo. The only Ecuadorian aracari with two bands.

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Chiriqui, May 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Fiery Billed Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus frantzii
Other: Arasarí piquinaranja (Es)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: Costa Rica, Panama
Similar: Collared Aracari

The Fiery-billed Aracari is found in the west of Panama and in Costa Rica. These were perched atop a tall tree when we arrived at the Finca Hartmann (a lovely bird-friendly coffee farm - well worth buying a couple of bags of coffee to take home with you while you’re there).

The Fiery-billed Aracari looks similar to the Collared Aracari but the upper bill is all red and orange.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Central Panama, April 2010 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Collared Aracari
Latin: Pteroglossus torquatus
Other: Tucancillo collarejo (Es) • Arasarí acollarado (Br)
Family: Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris
Range: Mexico to Venezuela
Similar:

The Collared Aracari was not at all rare at the Canopy Tower. In fact one could usually be seen every morning at the crack of dawn or just before, feeding at the cecropias and other fruiting trees that surround the hotel. But the conditions never seemed very good for photography.

Upper mandible mostly light off-white with black tip, lower mandible black.More photos...

102c Ramphastidae • Toucans, Aracaris, Toucanets - IOC 2.8 2011

New World Barbets have been moved to their own families, Capitonidae and Semnornithidae.

Aulacorhynchus wagleri - Wagler's Toucanet - SW Mexico - split from A. prasinus;
Aulacorhynchus prasinus - Emerald Toucanet - E Mexico to Nicaragua
Aulacorhynchus caeruleogularis - Blue-throated Toucanet - Costa Rica to W Panama - split from A. prasinus
Aulacorhynchus cognatus - Violet-throated Toucanet - E Panama, NW Colombia - split from A. prasinus
Aulacorhynchus lautus - Santa Marta Toucanet - N Colombia - split from A. prasinus
Aulacorhynchus griseigularis - Grey-throated Toucanet - C, W Colombia - split from A. prasinus
Aulacorhynchus albivitta - White-throated Toucanet - E, C Colombia, W Venezuela, E Ecuador - split from A. prasinus
Aulacorhynchus atrogularis - Black-throated Toucanet - C Ecuador to W Bolivia - split from A. prasinus
Aulacorhynchus sulcatus - Groove-billed Toucanet - NE, N Venezuela
Aulacorhynchus calorhynchus - Yellow-billed Toucanet - NE Colombia, NW Venezuela - split from A. sulcatus
Aulacorhynchus derbianus - Chestnut-tipped Toucanet - N Amazonia, S Colombia to C Bolivia, South America
Aulacorhynchus haematopygus - Crimson-rumped Toucanet - W Venezuela to E Ecuador
Aulacorhynchus huallagae - Yellow-browed Toucanet - E Peru
Aulacorhynchus coeruleicinctis - Blue-banded Toucanet - C Peru to SE Bolivia

Pteroglossus viridis - Green Aracari - NE Amazonia
Pteroglossus inscriptus - Lettered Aracari - W, S Amazonia
Pteroglossus bitorquatus - Red-necked Aracari - S Amazonia
Pteroglossus azara - Ivory-billed Aracari - NW Amazonia
Pteroglossus mariae - Brown-mandibled Aracari - SW Amazonia - split from P. azara
Pteroglossus aracari - Black-necked Aracari - NE, E South America
Pteroglossus castanotis - Chestnut-eared Aracari - W Amazonia to SE Brazil
Pteroglossus pluricinctus - Many-banded Aracari - NW Amazonia
Pteroglossus torquatus - Collared Aracari - Mexico to Venezuela
Pteroglossus sanguineus - Stripe-billed Aracari - W Colombia, NW Ecuador - split from P. torquatus
Pteroglossus erythropygius - Pale-mandibled Aracari - W Ecuador - split from P. torquatus
Pteroglossus frantzii - Fiery-billed Aracari - Costa Rica, Panama
Pteroglossus beauharnaesii - Curl-crested Aracari - W Amazonia
Pteroglossus bailloni - Saffron Toucanet - SE South America

Selenidera spectabilis - Yellow-eared Toucanet - Honduras to SW Colombia
Selenidera culik - Guianan Toucanet - NE Amazonia
Selenidera reinwardtii - Golden-collared Toucanet - W Amazonia
Selenidera nattereri - Tawny-tufted Toucanet - NC Amazonia
Selenidera gouldii - Gould's Toucanet - S Amazonia
Selenidera maculirostris - Spot-billed Toucanet - SE South America

Andigena hypoglauca - Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan - C Colombia to Peru
Andigena laminirostris - Plate-billed Mountain Toucan - SW Colombia to S Ecuador
Andigena cucullata - Hooded Mountain Toucan - SE Peru to C Bolivia
Andigena nigrirostris - Black-billed Mountain Toucan - W Venezuela to N Peru

Ramphastos dicolorus - Green-billed Toucan - SE South America (Red-breasted Toucan)
Ramphastos vitellinus - Channel-billed Toucan - Amazonia, E, SE Brazil
Ramphastos citreolaemus - Citron-throated Toucan - N Colombia, NW Venezuela - split from R. vitellinus
Ramphastos brevis - Choco Toucan - NW Colombia to SW Ecuador
Ramphastos sulfuratus - Keel-billed Toucan - E Mexico to NW Venezuela
Ramphastos toco - Toco Toucan - NE, C, SE South America
Ramphastos tucanus - White-throated Toucan - Amazonia
Ramphastos swainsonii - Chestnut-mandibled Toucan - SE Honduras to W Ecuador - split from R. ambiguus
Ramphastos ambiguus - Black-mandibled Toucan - W Venezuela to C Peru