The Story
This Southern Emerald-Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta) was at San José de las Hermosas in Chaparral, Tolima, Colombia when I photographed it. Like other toucans it nests in a tree cavity. In Colombia and Venezuela its nesting season runs from January to September. The sexes look alike, though the female is usually smaller and shorter-billed. It is found in the mountains of Colombia, Ecuador, western Venezuela, Peru and northern Bolivia. It mainly lives inside humid montane forest but also uses forest edges and more open country. In flight its wings make a whirring sound. San José de las Hermosas is one of the rural villages of Chaparral, which lies about 163 km from Ibagué.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Southern Emerald-Toucanet as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Southern Emerald-Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus albivitta) 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