Collared Aracari
Collared Aracari ( Pteroglossus torquatus )
The Collared Aracari ( Pteroglossus torquatus ) is an indigenous to Central America woodpecker bird from the family of toucans. He belongs to the genus of Schwarzarassaris and was first described in 1788 by Johann Friedrich Gmelin. He is one of the few toucans that were observed in the field over an extended period of time.
Features
Yellow breasted be about 41 inches tall and can reach a weight of 230 grams. Their plumage is predominantly black on the head, wings and back, there is a red spot of differential expansion between the wing tips. The belly is, however, mostly yellowish, characteristic here is a broad, black and red tape: the legs are green. The lower beak is mostly black, the upper mandible other hand, generally mostly yellow, with some black pips. The eggs of the animals are white. The call of the bird is described as thin and tall.
The voice of the yellow breasted reminiscent of a bright " sneezing " and is onomatopoeic described as ksíyik or pítsek. Aggressive excited yellow breasted also give a grahhrr - sound.
Distribution and habitat
The range of the yellow breasted ranges from Mexico to Panama to Ecuador and Venezuela. There they are found in wooded lowlands and humid rainforests, unlike many other toucans but not usually in regions above 1500 meters above sea level.
According to the IUCN the stock is currently not endangered.
Behavior
The Collared Aracari often occurs in small groups. Its diet consists mainly of fruits, insects, bird eggs and lizards. You will stay in old woodpecker holes or natural tree hollows incurred. Field observations suggest that they are often left during the night in family groups and that they more overnight caves are in their territory available.
As the bird nesting site uses tree hollows, from which he occasionally makes already brooding king there and line woodpeckers alienate. Often, however, it is also one of the sleeping caves. Both males and females participate in the breeding, which lasts about 16 days. The chicks fledge after about 6 weeks, but a few weeks still fed after leaving the nest. In addition to parents, other fellows participate in the feeding of the chicks. It is believed to be immature young birds, which are descended from parents birds. Halsbandarasaaris are so far the only Tukanart, where you could prove such a cooperative breeding system unique. However, since a number of other toucans - including in particular the Schwarzarassaris - the reproductive biology is not yet sufficiently investigated, can not be excluded that this behavior also occurs in other species. Yellow breasted are considered monogamous.
Attitude
Yellow breasted previously held frequently in zoological gardens and bird parks as well as in private hands. At the beginning of the 20th century there were Halsbandarassis but only in three European zoos. In the 1980s, among other things, the Wilhelma in Stuttgart belonged to the Zoological Gardens, which bred successfully yellow breasted.