Keel-billed Toucan vs Pale-billed Araçari

Ramphastos sulfuratus compared with Pteroglossus erythropygius

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Keel-billed Toucan Pale-billed Araçari
Scientific Name Ramphastos sulfuratus Pteroglossus erythropygius
Order Piciformes Piciformes
Family Ramphastidae Ramphastidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length 50.0 cm (19.7 in) —
Wingspan 56.0 cm (22.0 in) 31.0 cm (12.2 in)
Weight 400.0 g (14.11 oz) 275.0 g (9.70 oz)
Diet Primarily fruit, supplemented with insects, lizards, eggs, and nestlings. Uses its long bill to reach … --
Clutch Size 1-4 2-5
Population Trend — —

Size Comparison

Body Length
Keel-billed Toucan 50.0 cm
Pale-billed Araçari —
Wingspan
Keel-billed Toucan 56.0 cm
Pale-billed Araçari 31.0 cm
Weight
Keel-billed Toucan 400.0 g
Pale-billed Araçari 275.0 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Keel-billed Toucan only

Pale-billed Araçari only

None

Keel-billed Toucan

Tropical and subtropical lowland rainforests and forest edges from sea level to about 1,900 meters.

Song & Call Comparison

Keel-billed Toucan

Song

Produces a repeated frog-like croaking 'prrrek-prrrek' or 'terrio-terrio'. Not melodic; the call resembles a mechanical rattle or frog. Also gives bill-clattering.

Pale-billed Araçari

Geographic Range & Migration

Keel-billed Toucan

Southern Mexico through Central America to northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.

Pale-billed Araçari

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Keel-billed Toucan

Least Concern

Pale-billed Araçari

How to Tell Them Apart

Keel-billed Toucan

Plumage

Black body with a bright yellow throat and chest. Red undertail coverts. The enormous bill is green with orange sides, a blue patch, and a red tip.

Bill

Enormous, lightweight, multicolored bill up to 15 cm long — green, orange, blue, and red

Pale-billed Araçari

About These Birds

Keel-billed Toucan

The keel-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize and one of the most recognizable birds in the Neotropics. Its oversized bill, which can be a third of its body length, is actually very light due to its hollow honeycomb structure. Toucans roost communally, with up to six adults squeezing into a single tree cavity.

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