pale-mandibled aracari
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Pale-mandibled aracari
| image = 20180818-Pale-mandibled aracari at Bosque Protector Mindo – Nambillo.jpg
| image_caption= At Mindo cloud forest, Ecuador
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Pteroglossus
| species = erythropygius
| authority = Gould, 1843
| synonyms = * Pteroglossus torquatus erythropygius
}}
The pale-mandibled aracari or pale-billed araçari (Pteroglossus erythropygius) is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/jacamars/ |title=Jacamars, puffbirds, barbets, toucans, honeyguides |website=IOC World Bird List |version =v 12.2 |editor-last1=Gill |editor-first1= F. |editor-last2=Donsker|editor-first2=D.|editor-last3=Rasmussen |editor-first3=P. |date=August 2022 |access-date=December 15, 2022 }} It is found in Ecuador and Peru.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
Taxonomy and systematics
The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) recognize the pale-mandibled (pale-billed) aracari as a species.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022 However, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy treat it as a subspecies of the collared aracari (P. torquatus).Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022
The pale-mandibled aracari is monotypic.
Description
The pale-mandibled aracari is {{convert|40.5|to|43|cm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} long including its {{convert|11.5|to|12.5|cm|in|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} bill. It weighs {{convert|175|to|250|g|oz|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. Males and females have the same coloration of the bill and plumage but the female's bill is shorter than the male's. The adult's bill has a narrow vertical white line at its base. Its maxilla is creamy yellow with a black stripe along its lower edge. The bill's mandible is creamy yellow with a black tip. Adults have mostly glossy black upperparts with bright red lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts. Their head, throat, and uppermost breast are greenish black. Their lower breast, belly, and undertail coverts are yellow. The breast has a variable red wash and a black spot in its center; the upper belly is crossed by a narrow red and black band. Their thighs are brown. Juveniles are much duller than adults, with a sooty-black head and chest and brownish olive upperparts. The red rump and yellow underparts are paler, and the breast spot, belly band, and bill pattern are indistinct.{{cite book | last =Ridgely | first =Robert S. | last2 =Greenfield | first2 =Paul J. | title =The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide | publisher =Cornell University Press | volume = II| date =2001 | location =Ithaca | pages =325 | isbn =978-0-8014-8721-7 }}Green, C. and R. Kannan (2020). Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.colara1.01 retrieved December 23, 2022
Distribution and habitat
Behavior
=Social behavior=
=Feeding=
The pale-mandibled aracari's diet is mostly fruit but it also feeds on large insects, the eggs and nestlings of other birds, and other small vertebrates. It mostly forages from the forest's mid level to the canopy but will feed on fruits in the understory. They glean fruit by stretching from a perch, bending, and even hanging upside down. They regurgitate large fruit seeds which often remain viable.
=Breeding=
The pale-mandibled aracari's breeding season is from December to May. It nests in tree cavities, usually those excavated by large woodpeckers but also natural ones. They may enlarge the cavity, which can be up to {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the ground. The clutch size is usually three eggs but can be as large as five. The incubation period is 16 to 17 days and both parents incubate. Fledging occurs 26 to 30 days after hatch. The parents and often up to three other adults provision the nestlings. They are fed mostly with insects when young.
{{birdsong|url=https://xeno-canto.org/species/Pteroglossus-erythropygius |species=pale-mandibled aracari}}
=Vocalization=
Status
The IUCN has assessed the pale-mandibled aracari as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. "[A]lthough it tolerates secondary forest, it nonetheless is very susceptible to deforestation".
Gallery
Pteroglossus erythropygius-Gould.jpg
Pale-mandibled Aracari 1 JCB.jpg
Pteroglossus erythropygius -Dallas World Aquarium, USA-8a.jpg
==References==
{{Commons}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Ramphastidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q841104}}
Category:Birds of Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena