The Story
I photographed this Chestnut-eared Aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis) at Ecohotel La Fortuna in Yopal, Casanare, Colombia. It is found from southern and eastern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador to southeastern Peru and east into Brazil. It lives in a wide variety of landscapes, many of them with standing or flowing water. It forages at all levels of the forest, plucking fruit from branches, even while hanging upside down. It mostly nests in old woodpecker holes, which it enlarges if needed. Yopal is the capital of Casanare. Males and females have the same bill coloration, though the female’s bill is shorter.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Chestnut-eared Aracari as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Chestnut-eared Aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis) belongs to the family Ramphastidae (Toucans) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List