Fun Collared Aracari Facts For Kids
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The collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) belongs to the toucan family and is endemic to southern Mexico and Central America. Small flocks of these toucans are also spotted in Colombia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.
They prefer evergreen forests and are highly active during the daytime. These toucan birds roost socially and undergo communal breeding, where the young ones are reared by other toucan birds of the same family.
The collared aracari toucan preys on a variety of insects and smaller vertebrates. Large collared aracari birds attract bird lovers. These birds produce intimidatingly loud calls and warn other animals of impending danger.
The collared aracari is an important bird species for the ecosystem because of their role in entomophilous pollination. Due to large-scale deforestation, the population of these toucan species is decreasing day by day. Keep on reading to learn more interesting facts about the big collared aracari species.
If you liked reading this article, why not also read about hyacinth macaw and cockatoo here on Kidadl?
Collared Aracari Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a collared aracari?
The collared aracari is a toucan bird that is native to Mexico.
What class of animal does a collared aracari belong to?
The collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) belongs to the class Aves, just like house swifts and collared Incas.
How many collared aracaris are there in the world?
More than 4 million aracari toucans species are present in the world. There are about five subspecies of collared aracari. A large number of aracari breeds from southern Mexico are seen flying between a variety of fruiting trees.
Where does a collared aracari live?
The collared aracari is native to Central America and southern Mexico.
What is a collared aracari's habitat?
The collared aracari habitat includes mostly forests and woodlands. They reside in lowland regions. The collared aracari range map includes a large variety of trees in vast forest regions. They fly from tree to tree and help with pollination.
Who do collared aracaris live with?
Aracari toucans are seen in small flocks of 6-15. They are highly social in nature and engage themselves in communal roosting. The adults share strong family bonds and are seen to rear the young ones of other toucans as well. They usually roost in groups of six at night.
How long does a collared aracari live?
Toucans usually live for about 20-25 years in captivity.
How do they reproduce?
These birds reproduce by laying two to five white eggs in tree hollows. Collared aracaris also search and lay their eggs in abandoned woodpecker nests in the forest.
These toucans do not exhibit sexual dimorphism. Both the parents incubate the eggs, which last for about 16 days. A group of six adults participates in feeding the nestlings for several weeks.
These adults may include siblings of the newly hatched birds from a previous brood. The adults continuously monitor and feed their young ones for more than six weeks.
After six weeks, the young ones develop green plumage and become fledglings. The parents feed the young birds regurgitated food with the help of the beak. The food generally involves seeds of various plants and certain small invertebrates as a source of protein, which the parents search throughout the forests.
This feeding with their beak takes place by gleaning. The collared aracari heron is also seen to prey on eggs of other bird species.
What is their conservation status?
The collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) is listed as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. However, their population trend is decreasing day by day due to increased deforestation and habitat loss. The rise in pollution and a high number of poaching are other factors that may lead to their gradual decrease in numbers.
Collared Aracari Fun Facts
What does a collared aracaris look like?
The collared aracari, a toucan, has a striking bright yellow breast with a medium-sized tail. The breast plumage is light green on the upper side. The upper tail has a sooty black plumage.
It has a sharp bill that is yellow in color with a black tip. These toucans have a black band across their neck. Their eyes are tiny yellow with a black spot.
The legs are green. Toucans are forest-dwelling and they range from one tree to another.
These birds have a colorful body and a characteristic large bill, just like the fiery-billed aracari. Their inconspicuous plumage also includes rufous tibial feathers. The collared aracari serrated tongue helps them in regurgitating large seeds multiple times while feeding juvenile collared toucan birds.
How cute are they?
The collared aracari toucan is quite cute with its striking body and long beak. The collared large aracari is very fascinating among other breeds from southern Mexico.
How do they communicate?
The young collared aracari call is sharp and squeaky. This call is accompanied by a head cocking movement. The collared aracari sound is heard throughout the forest of Central America and Costa Rica.
How big is a collared aracari?
The collared aracari stats include a 15.5-16 in (39-41 cm) long body, which is comparable to that of the curl crested aracari.
How fast can a collared aracari fly?
Collared aracari birds of Costa Rica have good flying speed and great agility. They are spotted in groups of 15 birds that are highly active in nature. An aracari's average flying speed is around 30 mph (48 kph). The collared aracari group behavior includes foraging together throughout the forest.
How much does a collared aracari weigh?
The collared aracari of Costa Rica weighs about 6.7–9.7 oz (190–275 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no special names given to a male and female collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus).
What would you call a baby collared aracari?
A newborn collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) is called a chick.
What do they eat?
The collared aracari preys on large insects and small invertebrates. They are also seen to prey on eggs of other bird species, like the yellow-green vireo and the crimson-backed tanager.
These toucans are frugivorous migrants, and their diet includes a variety of fruits and seeds. These seeds are then dispersed throughout the forests for pollination, and collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) birds are great contributors to the ecosystem.
Are they poisonous?
The collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) of Costa Rica is not poisonous. The males can become aggressive if provoked and can attack thereafter with their sharp beaks and claws.
Would they make a good pet?
Collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) birds can become very good pets because of their strikingly colorful plumage and sharp beak. Pet collared aracari care is quite minimum as they are omnivorous in nature. However, the collared aracari pet can become extremely noisy when held active for a long time. The collared aracari price is somewhere around $1000-$1200.
Please adhere to your local laws and regulations regaring these animals as pets. These species may be illegal or carry strict regulations in many states and Countries.
Did you know...
The habitat for these toucans previously included the Costa Rican island, Isla Nubar. In 1988, their stay on this island was largely interrupted by the International Genetic Technologies or the InGen activity, founded in San Diego. The famous 'Jurassic World' is based on this activity executed on the Isla Nubar island, and therefore, it is a famous tourist attraction.
These toucans are also known to sleep with folded tails on their back.
What's the difference between fiery-billed aracari and collared aracari?
The main difference between the two sister species of toucans is that the fiery-billed aracari has a vibrant spread of rufous and yellow colorations across its bill, while the collared aracari's bill is simpler with a pale yellow coloration. Another difference is that the fiery-billed aracari is slightly larger in size than the collared aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus).
What's unique about a collared aracari?
A unique behavior of collared aracari birds is that they roost socially in groups of six to eight all year, and also take care of their nestlings as a family. This social behavior displays their strong family bonds.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our toco toucan facts and Amazon parrot facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bird coloring pages.
Main image by Andy Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK
Second image by Haui Ared
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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