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Toucans & Aracaris

Curl-crested Aracari

Pteroglossus beauharnaesii

• rare
• 42 km/h
• Least Concern

Has a crest of glossy, curled feathers that look lacquered. The strangest head in the toucan family. Rainforest royalty.

Population

Not numerically quantified; described by IUCN/BirdLife as uncommon-to-locally-fairly-common with a declining population trend

Habitat

Interior, edges, and clearings of humid lowland tropical forest (both well-drained terra firme and seasonally swampy), mostly below 500 m elevation, locally to ~900 m near the Andes

Fun fact

The Curl-crested Aracari gets its name from its bizarre, glossy black crown feathers, which curl into tight, lacquered-looking flakes that resemble shavings of black plastic or wood rather than ordinary plumage.

Range

Southwestern Amazon Basin south of the Amazon River: southeastern Peru, western/southern Brazil (Madeira River east to the Xingu River, including northern Mato Grosso), and northern/central Bolivia

Diet

Primarily fruit; opportunistically raids nests for eggs and nestlings of other birds (notably yellow-rumped caciques), and takes insects and other small prey

Size

0.44 m

Wingspan

0.17 m

Lifespan

15 years