Tepui Toucanet

About the Tepui Toucanet

The tepui toucanet or Whitely's toucanet (Aulacorhynchus whitelianus) is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. The tepui toucanet and what is now the chestnut-tipped toucanet (A. derbianus) were for a time considered conspecific. They were separated by major taxonomic systems beginning in 2011.

The tepui toucanet has three subspecies: A. w. duidae – Chapman, 1929 The nominate A. w. whitelianus – Salvin & Godman, 1882 A. w. osgoodi – Blake, 1941 The tepui toucanet is 33 to 41 cm (13 to 16 in) long and weighs 117 to 160 g (4.1 to 5.6 oz). Its bill is deep red and black with a vertical white line at its base and grooves on the maxilla. The sexes are alike. Their plumage is generally green, with a white throat, yellow-green undertail coverts, and some blue beneath the eye. The nominate subspecies has short dull rufous tips on the tail feathers. Subspecies A. w. duidae is larger than the nominate and larger rufous tail tips. A. w. osgoodi is smaller than the nominate, has no rufous on the tail, and has less blue beneath the eye.

The subspecies... Wikipedia →