Curl-crested Aracari
Encyclopedia
The Curl-crested Aracari (Pteroglossus beauharnaesii), also known as the Curly-crested Aracari, is a species of bird
in the Ramphastidae family, the Toucan
s. It measures 40-45 cm (16-18 in) long and 190-280 grams (6.7-10 oz.) On account of its relatively long tail and curly crest (the latter only visible up close), it was formerly placed in the monotypic
genus
Beauharnaisius.
The Curl-crested Aracari is found in the southwestern section of the Amazon Basin
, with the Amazon River
being its northern range limit. Near the Amazon River, its range extends east to about the Madeira River
, while it in the southern half of its range extends east to around the Xingu River
. It is overall rare to uncommon, but regularly seen at several localities, including the Tambopata-Candamo
reserve in Peru, the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
in Bolivia, and the Cristalino State Park near Alta Floresta
in Brazil.
It is found in Amazonian Peru
, Bolivia
and Brazil
south of the Amazon River
. Its natural habitat
is tropical moist lowland forest
s. It is primarily a frugivore
, but will also take nestling of birds such as the Yellow-rumped Cacique
.
Due to its extensive range, it is considered to be of least concern
by BirdLife International
and consequently the IUCN.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the Ramphastidae family, the Toucan
Toucan
Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The family is most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and about forty different species...
s. It measures 40-45 cm (16-18 in) long and 190-280 grams (6.7-10 oz.) On account of its relatively long tail and curly crest (the latter only visible up close), it was formerly placed in the monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Beauharnaisius.
Range and ecology
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, with the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
being its northern range limit. Near the Amazon River, its range extends east to about the Madeira River
Madeira River
The Madeira River is a major waterway in South America, approximately 3,250 km miles long The Madeira is the biggest tributary of the Amazon...
, while it in the southern half of its range extends east to around the Xingu River
Xingu River
The Xingu River , also called Rio Xingu, is a 1,230-mile long, river in north Brazil; it is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River.-Description and history:...
. It is overall rare to uncommon, but regularly seen at several localities, including the Tambopata-Candamo
Tambopata-Candamo
Tambopata-Candamo is a nature reserve in the Peruvian Amazon Basin south of the Madre de Dios River in Tambopata Province's Inambari and Tambopata districts...
reserve in Peru, the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park
Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is a national park in northeast Santa Cruz Department, Province of José Miguel de Velasco, Bolivia, on the border with Brazil.-Description:...
in Bolivia, and the Cristalino State Park near Alta Floresta
Alta Floresta
Alta Floresta is a city in Mato Grosso, Brazil. It is located at around .The city is served by Dep. Benedito Santiago Airport.-External links:*...
in Brazil.
It is found in Amazonian Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
south of the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is tropical moist lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s. It is primarily a frugivore
Frugivore
A frugivore is a fruit eater. It can be any type of herbivore or omnivore where fruit is a preferred food type. Because approximately 20% of all mammalian herbivores also eat fruit, frugivory is considered to be common among mammals. Since frugivores eat a lot of fruit they are highly dependent...
, but will also take nestling of birds such as the Yellow-rumped Cacique
Yellow-rumped Cacique
The Yellow-rumped Cacique, Cacicus cela, is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It breeds in much of northern South America from Panama and Trinidad south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil.-Description:...
.
Due to its extensive range, it is considered to be of least concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
and consequently the IUCN.
Literature
- John GouldJohn GouldJohn Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
and Henry Constantine RichterHenry Constantine RichterHenry Constantine Richter was a zoological illustrator.Richter was employed by John Gould to assist with the illustrations of his zoological works after the death of Gould's wife Elizabeth...
: A Monograph of the Ramphaastidae, or Family of Toucans, London 1854- new edition: with 51 coloured tables and a preface by Jonathan ElphickJonathan ElphickJonathan Elphick is a natural history author, editor and consultant. He is an eminent ornithologist, a qualified zoologist; Fellow of the Zoological Society of London and a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London...
: TaschenTaschenTaschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...
, Köln 2011 ISBN 978-3-8365-0524-6
- new edition: with 51 coloured tables and a preface by Jonathan Elphick
External links
- Curl-crested Aracari videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- "Curly-crested Aracari" photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res
- Photo-High Res; Trip Report tropicalbirding
- Photo-Medium Res--(Dorsal View); Article nashvillezoo.org—"Ramphastidae"
