Choco toucan

The Choco toucan (Ramphastos brevis) is a near-passerine bird in the family Ramphastidae found in humid lowland and foothill forests on the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador. Within its range, extensive habitat destruction is taking place, but it remains fairly common locally.

Choco toucan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Ramphastidae
Genus: Ramphastos
Species:
R. brevis
Binomial name
Ramphastos brevis
Estimated Choco toucan range in blue
Synonyms
  • Ramphastos ambiguus brevis

Taxonomy and systematics

The Choco toucan was originally considered as a subspecies of the yellow-throated toucan.

Description
In northwestern Ecuador showing white upper tail coverts

The Choco toucan is a large (although among the smallest Ramphastos toucans), predominantly black bird with a striking yellow and black beak, a yellow bib, white uppertail coverts, red undertail coverts and green ocular skin. It is very similar to the larger chestnut-mandibled toucan, but lacks brown on the beak. In the wild, the two are generally best separated by their voice; croaking in the Choco, yelping in the chestnut-mandibled.

Distribution

As suggested by its common name, the Choco toucan is restricted to the humid Chocó forests in western Ecuador and western Colombia. Its estimated global range is over 110,000 km².

Reproduction

Choco toucans lay 3-4 pure white eggs that are incubated for 16 days. The young fledge in about 45–50 days.

In captivity

In aviculture, their requirements of spacious cages and a high-fruit diet, and their sensitivity to hemochromatosis (iron-storage disease), make them difficult to maintain for novice keepers. The Choco toucan is very rare in captivity in the United States.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Ramphastos brevis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Ramphastos brevis. Downloaded from on 5/4/2007
  • InfoNatura: Birds, mammals, and amphibians of Latin America [web application]. 2004. Version 4.1 . Arlington, Virginia (USA): NatureServe. Available: .(Accessed: April 16, 2007 ).
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