Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

Like other toucans, the Chestnut mandibled is brightly marked and has a large bill. The male is 55 cm long, while the smaller female is typically 50 cm long. Weight ranges from 600 to 750 grams.

The male and female are alike in appearance, mainly black with maroon hints to the head, upper back and lower breast. The face and upper breast are bright yellow, with narrow white. The upper tail is white and the lower abdomen is red. The legs are blue. The body plumage is similar to that of the smaller Keel-billed Toucan, but the bill pattern is quite different, being diagonally divided into bright yellow and maroon.

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

Juvenile birds are sooty black, and have duller plumage, particularly with respect to the bib, red border, and lower mandible. They are fed by the parents for several weeks after leaving the nest.

The call of the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is a yelping.

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

Small flocks, usually consisting of 3-12 birds, move through the forest with an undulating flight, rarely travelling more than 100 m at a time. This species is primarily an arboreal fruit-eater, but will also take insects, lizards, eggs, and frogs. Flocks will follow Keel-billed Toucans to exploit their sources of food.

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is a resident breeder in moist lowland forest. The 2-4 white eggs are laid in an unlined cavity high in a decayed section of a living tree, or occasionally in an old woodpecker nest in a dead tree.

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan

Male and female  incubate the eggs for at 15 days, and the toucan chicks remain in the nest after hatching. They are blind at birth, and have short bills and specialised pads on their heels to protect them from the rough floor of the nest. They are fed by both parents, and fledge after about 6 weeks.

Chestnut-mandibled Toucans are sometimes kept as pets. They are the most readily available species available in aviculture, however they are considered to be noisy, when compared to other toucans.

Chestnut Mandibled Toucan