White-throated toucanet

White-throated toucanet
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Piciformes
Family:Ramphastidae
Genus:Aulacorhynchus
Species: A. albivitta
Binomial name
Aulacorhynchus albivitta
(Boissonneau, 1840)
Subspecies

See text

Synonyms
  • Aulacorhynchus prasinus albivitta
  • Pteroglossus albivitta

The white-throated toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta) is a near-passerine bird found in the Andes from western Venezuela, through Colombia to northern Ecuador.

Taxonomy and systematics

The white-throated toucanet was originally described in the genus Pteroglossus. Although not accepted yet by all authorities, the white-throated toucanet was split from the emerald toucanet to form a separate species.[2] The Santa Marta toucanet and the grey-throated toucanet were both formerly considered as a separate species (Aulacorhynchus lautus and Aulacorhynchus griseigularis respectively) until lumped as a subspecies of the white-throated toucanet in 2016.[3] Alternate names for the white-throated toucanet include the Andean toucanet, greyish-throated toucanet, north Andean toucanet, northern Andean toucanet and southern emerald toucanet.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized:[4]

  • Santa Marta toucanet (A. a. lautus) - Bangs, 1898: Originally described as a separate species. Found in the Santa Marta mountains of northern Colombia
  • Grey-throated toucanet (A. a. griseigularis) - Chapman, 1915: Originally described as a separate species. Found in northern western Andes and western slope of central Andes (western and central Colombia)
  • (A. a. phaeolaemus) - Gould, 1874: Originally described as a separate species. Found on western slope of western Andes (western Colombia)
  • (A. a. albivitta) - (Boissonneau, 1840): Found on eastern slope of Central Andes, Eastern Andes (central, eastern Colombia), western Venezuela, eastern Ecuador

Description

Like other toucans, the white-throated toucanet is brightly marked and has a large bill. The adult is 30–35 cm (12–14 in) long and weight can range from 118–230 g (4.2–8.1 oz).[5][6] The sexes are alike in appearance, although the female generally is smaller and slightly shorter-billed. It is, as other members of the genus Aulacorhynchus, mainly green. The vent and tail-tip are rufous. The bill is black with yellow to the upper mandible and a white band at the base of the bill. Some white-throated toucanets have a rufous patch near the base of the lower mandible. The throat of the Santa Marta toucanet is pale grey-blue and white or grey-blue in the other subspecies. The eye-ring is very dark, almost appearing blackish from a distance. The legs are dull greyish and the iris is dark.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2014). "Aulacorhynchus albivitta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Aulacorhynchus albivitta - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  3. ↑ "Species Updates « IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  4. ↑ "IOC World Bird List 6.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4.
  5. ↑ "Ramphastidae (Toucans, toucanets, & Aracaris)". www.nashvillezoo.org. Nashville Zoo.
  6. ↑ Short, Lester L.; Horne, Jennifer (2001). Toucans, Barbets & Honeyguides. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854666-1.
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