Bulletin 268 - Ecuador 2106 #2 - Barbets and Toucans

I have been asked to provide the location where the birds were found. I will try to provide proximity information, at least to the lodge where we stayed, when we saw the bird.

Shiripuno Lodge in Amazon  (SH)
Archidona a town on the east slope  (AR)
San Isidro Lodge at a higher elevation on east slope (SI)
Guango Lodge even higher on east slope (GU)
Puembo - a suburb of Quito at a B&B for birders (PU)
Antisana reserve on the paramo    (AN)
Yanacocha reserve   (YA)
Mindo area on west slope has several close reserves that we visited (MI)

At the end of each bird description, I will give the 2 letter code where the photo was taken.

There are 15 species of New World barbets. They are small colorful fruit eating birds with heavy bills. They are closely related to the toucans. The 6" male Red-headed Barbet (Eubucco bourcierii) has a bright red head, green back, yellow belly and a yellow bill. I had photographed him before, but this was a better photo.    MI

Red-headed Barbet - male

The 7" male Scarlet-crowned Barbet (Capito aurovirens) has a red cap, orange breast and brown back.  AR

Scarlet-crowned Barbet - male

There is an even smaller family of just 2 species called the Toucan Barbets. I had photographed one in Costa Rica at Easter, the Prong-billed Barbet. The other is found in Columbia and Ecuador. The  9" Toucan Barbet (Semnornis ramphastinus) is an amazing multicolored bird with a very heavy bill. The sexes are similar, but the female is duller.  MI

Toucan Barbet

And another photo of this amazing bird.

Toucan Barbet

Even larger birds are the well known toucans. We found and photographed 8 species, 7 of which were new species to photo and most of these were life birds. The smallest of the toucans are the toucanets. The 13" White-throated Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta) has a green body, white throat, and brown bill with yellow along the top.   SI 

White-throated Toucanet

The 14" Crimson-rumped Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus haematopygus) is also green but has a red rump, and some turquoise on the chest and a brown bill. Notice this bird has his bill broken.   MI

Crimson-rumped Toucanet

Aracaris are mid-sized toucans with thinner pointed bills. They tend to have black back, with yellow underparts with some horizontal stripes. The 14" Ivory-billed Aaracari (Pteroglossus azara) has a wide red and black stripes above the yellow. The bill is almost all white.   SH

Ivory-billed Aracari

The 17" Many-banded Aracari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus) has a narrow black and red stripes and a brown and yellow bill.    SH

Many-banded Aracari

The 16" Pale-mandibled Aracari (Pteroglossus erythropygius) has a mostly yellow bill and just a single black stripe on his belly.    MI

Pale-mandibled Aracari

The toucans are mostly black with a colored throat and wide colorful bill. The 18" Choco Toucan (Ramphastos brevis) has a 2 tone bill and yellow throat. has has green skin around the eye.   MI

Choco Toucan

The huge 22" White-throated Toucan (Ramphastos tucanus) has a white throat, brown mandible with yellow and blue at the base and blue skin around the eye.     SH

White-throated Toucan

Another interesting group of toucans are the 4 mountain toucans. They have brown backs and pale blue underparts. I saw my first one ever on this trip, the 17" Plate-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena laminorostris).    MI

Plate-billed Mountain Toucan

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2016 David McDonald

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