Toucans (Ramphastidae)

Ivory-billed Araçari (Pteroglossus azara) - HBW 7, p. 263

French: Araçari d’Azara German: Rotkropfarassari Spanish: Arasarí de Azara
Other common names: Azara Araçari/Toucan; Yellow-billed Araçari (flavirostris); Brown-mandibled/Maria’s Araçari (mariae)

Taxonomy: Ramphastos Azara Vieillot, 1819, Brazil.
Related to P. bitorquatus and P. inscriptus. Thought unlikely to be related directly to any of the “P. torquatus group”. Races flavirostris and mariae sometimes considered to constitute two separate species, but both of these and nominate race interbreed wherever they meet: mariae with nominate and flavirostris along Amazon, and with flavirostris also in N Peru; flavirostris also interbreeds with nominate race on upper R Negro. Race mariae has hybridized with race humboldti of P. inscriptus in W Brazil (R .. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Ramphastos Azara Vieillot, 1819, Brazil.
Related to P. bitorquatus and P. inscriptus. Thought unlikely to be related directly to any of the “P. torquatus group”. Races flavirostris and mariae sometimes considered to constitute two separate species, but both of these and nominate race interbreed wherever they meet: mariae with nominate and flavirostris along Amazon, and with flavirostris also in N Peru; flavirostris also interbreeds with nominate race on upper R Negro. Race mariae has hybridized with race humboldti of P. inscriptus in W Brazil (R Juruá), and hybrid was originally thought to be a distinct species under the name “P. olallae”. Present species, as constituted herein, has sometimes erroneously been named P. flavirostris, apparently due to confusion over priority. Three subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • flavirostris Fraser, 1841 - SE Colombia, S Venezuela and NW Brazil (W of upper R Negro, S to N bank of R Solimões) to E Ecuador and NE Peru.
  • azara (Vieillot, 1819) - Brazil in Amazonas, between W bank of R Negro and N bank of R Solimões-Amazon.
  • mariae Gould, 1854 - S of Amazon, from E Peru and W Brazil (E to R Madeira), S to NC Bolivia.