While in Tikal NP in Guatemala we had just seen a flurry of birds in a small area: a lineated woodpecker, an olive-throated parakeet, a black-headed saltator and white-crowned parrots. Rony, our guide, pointed to a small speck standing on the limb of a very large tree, very far away, and said, "there is a keel-billed toucan." I took a photo, then enlarged it and could make it out. I would love to have seen it closer, but I'll take a toucan any way I can see one. I really love the toucans, barbets, parrots, parakeets and oropendolas - all colorful, many with large bills and loud calls.
It is also known as the rainbow-billed toucan (for obvious reasons) and sulphur-breasted toucan and is the national bird of Belize. There are two subspecies. I saw the nominate ssp. sulfuratus which is found in southeastern Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala. It has a very narrow red chest band below the yellow breast which is difficult to see. The other ssp. has a somewhat broader red band.
 |
| Illustration from Birds of the World. What a spectacular bird. |
 |
| Range from Birds of the World. |
I have previously seen the following toucans:
 |
| Chestnut-mandibled toucan near Mindo, Ecuador. |
 |
| Choco toucan near Mindo, Ecuador. |
 |
| Collared or pale-mandibled aracari near Mindo, Ecuador, maybe my favorite one. |
 |
| Crimson-rumped toucanet near Mindo, Ecuador. |
This was my first toucan outside of Ecuador.
No comments:
Post a Comment