Channel-billed Toucan © gurushots.com

One of the so-called "croaking group" of toucans, along with Red-breasted Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus), Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), Choco Toucan (Ramphastos brevis) and Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco). No very close relatives. Has hybridized with Red-breasted Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus). All four subspecies well marked, and sometimes considered four distinct species: all four, however, interbreed to massive extent wherever they meet, forming huge hybrid populations, e.g. culminatus interbreeds with citreolaemus in north-western Venezuela, with nominate vitellinus in southern Venezuela and Brazil north of Amazon, and widely with ariel south of Amazon (in Amazonas, western Pará, Rondônia, Tocantins, Goiás, Piauí­, north-western Sío Paulo, and Mato Grosso); hybrids probably outnumber genetically "pure" individuals of all forms, and it proves impossible to draw strict boundaries separating subspecies geographically. Several previously described forms now known to represent hybrids: "berliozi" (R Negro, northern Brazil) is cross between nominate vitellinus and culminatus; and "osculans" (upper R Negro), "theresae" (north-eastern Brazil) and "pintoi" (south-eastern Brazil) are all hybrids of culminatus with ariel.

The following 5 subspecies are recognised:

• citreolaemus Lichtenstein, 1823   -  Northern Colombia, north-western Venezuela. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Citron-throated Toucan (Ramphastos citreolaemus).
• culminatus Gould, 1833   -  North-western and south-western Venezuela, and Colombia east of Andes, east to central and eastern Brazil (western Pará, Piauí­), and south to central Bolivia, Mato Grosso and south-eastern Brazil (north-western Sío Paulo). Considered by some authors. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yellow-ridged Toucan (Ramphastos culminatus).
• vitellinus Lichtenstein, 1823   -  Trinidad, and eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, and north-eastern Brazil north of Amazon.
• ariel Vigors, 1826   -  Brazil south of Amazon, eastern from R Tapajós in Pará, Maranhío and Piauí­, and disjunctly from eastern Pernambuco south to Santa Catarina. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Ariel Toucan (Ramphastos ariel).
• pintoi Peters, 1945   -  South-eastern Brazil (southern Goiás and western São Paulo).

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BirdLife International For more information about the Channel-billed Toucan see... BirdLife International Species Factsheet. Articles about the Channel-billed Toucan If you would like to read any articles about the Channel-billed Toucan... Show Articles (0) No Pictures of Channel-billed Toucan If Birdpedia has no pictures of Channel-billed Toucan or you would like to see more, then try the following...       From BING (10) No Videos of Channel-billed Toucan If Birdpedia has no videos of Channel-billed Toucan or you would like to see more, then try the following..       From BING (0)