The Story
I photographed this Lettered Aracari (Pteroglossus inscriptus) at the Reserva Natural y Ecoturística La Avispa, near Florencia, Caquetá, Colombia, in January 2021. This small toucan is 33 to 35.5 centimeters long, and its bill carries black, script-like markings. Males are larger than females and have longer bills. It lives in lowland forest of the upper Amazon basin, including várzea, terra firme and secondary forest. Small groups, perhaps families, forage together on fruit and small arthropods, and it also raids other birds’ nests for eggs and chicks. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 for this one, at 1/350 sec, f/11, ISO 1600, +0.5 EV. La Avispa is a 232-hectare natural reserve that uses tourism to show visitors why the environment needs protecting.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Lettered Aracari (Pteroglossus inscriptus) 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