The Story
I photographed this Chestnut-eared Aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis) at Huaca Huaca Hostel, near Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, in October 2019. It is a toucan of South America, with a chestnut face and nape, a yellow breast crossed by red, and blue facial skin. Its bill has black and ivory markings along the edge that look like teeth. It eats mostly fruit, sometimes hanging upside down to pluck it, and also takes flowers, nectar, eggs and nestlings. It mostly nests in old woodpecker holes, and small groups at a nest suggest cooperative breeding. IUCN lists it as Least Concern, though its numbers are believed to be falling.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600, +1 EV. It is found in many protected areas, but it is still hunted in some places.
©2020 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