A Brightly Colored Gem Of A Bird Living Up To Its Jewel Of A Name – Meet The Emerald Toucanet!

clonejoe | March 2, 2021 | Articles

This bird has quite an extensive pallet with over 113 plants included in its diet!

For good reason, this bird’s bright green emerald plumage and colorful characteristics are what give it its name.

Meet the Emerald toucanet

*Photo Courtesy of Brian Gratwicke / CC BY 2.0*

The emerald toucanet or northern emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus), is a species of bird in the Ramphastidae family. Both the male and female are a similar color, though the female is generally smaller, with a slightly shorter-bill. Mainly green in color, the tip of the tail, and the vent are more of a rufous color.

*Photo Courtesy of Jerry Kirkhart / CC BY 2.0*

The bill is black with yellow on the upper mandible.

Juveniles tend to be dull in color, with the bill dusky, or entirely yellow in color.

*“Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus)” all cropped) (by julian londono is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.*

These birds and other sub-species like the blue-throated toucanet live in the mountainous regions of Mexico and Central America.

*Hans Norelius from Älvsjö, Sweden is licensed under CC BY 2.0.*

The Emerald toucanet prefers to live in humid forests at higher elevations.

*“Aulacorhynchus prasinus / Tucancito esmeralda / Emerald Toucanet” by felixú is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.*

Primarily an upper canopy, arboreal fruit-eater, this bird has quite an extensive pallet with over 113 plants included in its diet in Costa Rica alone. It will supplement its fruitarian diet with insects, lizards, and eggs.

Nesting in tree cavities the Emerald toucanet breeds from March-August in Costa Rica, finding a nest about 2 – 27 meters off the ground. 3 – 4 eggs are laid in an unlined hole, sometimes an old woodpecker nest or a natural cavity. The eggs are incubated for 14 -15 days by both the male and the female before hatching. The hatchlings are fed by both parents too before being fledged at 6 weeks of age.