Semnornis ramphastinus
| Toucan barbet | |
|---|---|
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| In Mindo, Ecuador | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Piciformes |
| Family: | Semnornithidae |
| Genus: | Semnornis |
| Species: | S. ramphastinus |
| Binomial name | |
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Semnornis ramphastinus (Jardine, 1855) |
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The toucan barbet (Semnornis ramphastinus) is a barbet in the family Semnornithidae native to the humid montane forests of western Ecuador and Colombia.
In the past the species was grouped with the other barbets in the Capitonidae family. However, DNA studies have confirmed that this arrangement is paraphyletic; the New World barbets are more closely related to the toucans than they are to the Old World barbets. As a result, the barbet lineages are now considered to be distinct families, and the toucan barbet, together with the prong-billed barbet, is now placed into the separate family Semnornithidae.
In 1988, a close phylogenetic relationship between the genus Semnornis and the family Ramphastidae was suggested. The genus is now considered the sister taxon of toucans, but still more closely related to the New World barbets.
The toucan barbet is a robust barbet, of medium size and weighing 80–115 g. The beak is robust with a yellow maxilla and a light green mandible, both with dark ends. The plumage is colourful and includes a black crown, "mask" and thin cervical collar. There are long occipital feathers and a conspicuous white stripe behind the eye, which has a bright red-colored iris. The nape of the neck is golden-brown and becomes yellow towards the rump. The throat, upper breast and sides of the nape are grayish-blue. The lower breast and middle belly are bright red, while the lower belly is yellowish green. The wings and tail are grey.
There is no sexual dimorphism; both sexes are almost identical except for the female being slightly less bright.
The species is native to the humid forests of the western Andes, from the Andean slopes of northwest Ecuador to southwest Colombia, at altitudes of 1400–2400 m. It uses all forest strata, shwoing some preference for the upper canopy of the forest (11–20 m) and the subcanopy (610 m). Evidence suggests that these birds are very specific when it comes to choosing trees for nesting. They usually prefer old trees in the Lauraceae family. As nesting trees of sufficient diameter are not very common in these forests, habitat loss through logging is impacting the species.
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Wikipedia