Fiery-billed Aracari

About the Fiery-billed Aracari

The fiery-billed aracari or fiery-billed araçari (Pteroglossus frantzii) is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. Major taxonomic systems have long treated the fiery-billed aracari as a species that is closely related to the collared aracari (P. torquatus). At least one 20th century author treated it as a subspecies of the collared aracari.

The fiery-billed aracari is monotypic. The species' specific epithet commemorates the German naturalist Alexander von Frantzius. The fiery-billed aracari is about 45 cm (18 in) long and weighs 225 to 280 g (7.9 to 9.9 oz). Like other toucans, the fiery-billed aracari is brightly marked and has a large bill. The adult's bill has a vertical ivory line at its base. Its mandible is black. Its maxilla is mostly red, with a black culmen, yellow tip, and greenish base. Adults have a black head, neck, and throat with a chestnut collar on the nape. Bare red skin surrounds the eye. Their back is blue-green and their rump is red. Their underparts are bright yellow with a red band across the belly and a black spot in the center of the breast. Their thighs... Wikipedia →