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Saffron toucanet

Pteroglossus bailloni

Description: This toucanet is easily identified by its saffron yellow head and breast, olive mantle and red rump. Sexes are similar but the female is duller (somewhat more olive in color) and the bill is shorter. The greenish-horn bill has red patches surrounded by yellowish-gray at the base. The rump and ocular skin are red. The iris is pale yellowish.

Size: They are 14-16 inches (35-40 cm) in length, ranging between 5.5-6.1 ounces (156-173 gr) in weight.

Behavior: Fairly quiet and secretive bird; seen alone, in pairs or in small family groups.

Diet: In the wild, their diet consists primarily of fruits but will also feed on bird eggs, small animals (including smaller birds and their nestlings, lizards and other small prey). During the breeding season, they will take large amounts of insects for protein.

Communication: A noisy species that has a range of vocalizations from loud notes, rattle-like sounds to softer purrs.

Reproduction: Before forming a breeding pair, the male courts the female by singing and offering food; mutual preening can often be seen. They usually find abandoned woodpecker hole or other existing tree cavities and excavate a nest, in which a clutch of two or three eggs are laid. Both parents incubate the eggs for approximately 16 days. The newly hatched chicks are blind and naked; young fledge after about six weeks.

Habitat/range: The Saffron toucanet lives in moist, subtropical and tropical forests, usually on mountain slopes up to approximately 5,100 feet (1,554 m) but can also be found in lower mountain slopes and river sides. Its range includes southeast Brazil, northeast Argentina and eastern-central Paraguay.

Status: Classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List; listed on Appendix III of CITES.

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Piciformes
Family:Ramphastidae
Genus:Pteroglossus
Species:bailloni