White-throated toucanet


The white-throated toucanet is a near-passerine bird found in the Andes from western Venezuela, through Colombia to northern Ecuador.

Taxonomy and systematics

The white-throated toucanet was originally described in the genus Pteroglossus. Although not accepted yet by all authorities, the white-throated toucanet was split from the emerald toucanet to form a separate species. The Santa Marta toucanet and the grey-throated toucanet were both formerly considered as a separate species until lumped as a subspecies of the white-throated toucanet in 2016. Alternative names for the white-throated toucanet include the Andean toucanet, greyish-throated toucanet, north Andean toucanet, northern Andean toucanet and southern emerald toucanet.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized:
Like other toucans, the white-throated toucanet is brightly marked and has a large bill. The adult is long and weight can range from. The sexes are alike in appearance, although the female generally is smaller and slightly shorter-billed. It is, as other members of the genus Aulacorhynchus, mainly green. The vent and tail-tip are rufous. The bill is black with yellow to the upper mandible and a white band at the base of the bill. Some white-throated toucanets have a rufous patch near the base of the lower mandible. The throat of the Santa Marta toucanet is pale grey-blue and white or grey-blue in the other subspecies. The eye-ring is very dark, almost appearing blackish from a distance. The legs are dull greyish and the iris is dark.