Howdy, friends.  I hope everyone is keeping safe out there.  I ended up taking Friday off rather than try to commute around all the road closures in DC this weekend.  I can afford to do that, but its pretty ridiculous that I was in a situation where that was necessary.  I have no doubt other people don’t have the luxury of just saying “fudge it” and using paid leave to avoid traffic.  I’ve lived in Washington for 10 years now and no event has been so disruptive as His Royal Highness Fussy Toddler’s birthday.  

Anyway, lets talk about some birds instead.  This week’s bird is the grey-breasted mountain toucan (GBMT).  This bird lives in a very slender band of Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru.  Unlike many species of toucan, which are associated with warm rain forests, it lives in cooler, high altitude cloud forests at altitudes of around 2,200-3,300m (7,500-11,000 ft), about as high as a toucan is capable of living.  In addition to montane cloud forests, the GBMT lives in secondary (regrown after being cleared) forests, and a delightful sounding forest called an “elfin forest.”  These forests are characterized by “sufficient air humidity but poor soil.”  They are often found at high altitudes, and are inhabited by miniature versions of local flora  and small animals like rodents and lizards.

The gray-breasted mountain toucan mostly feeds on fruits, but will also eat insects, small animals and the eggs of other birds.  This is especially the case during mating season, when caloric needs of parents and chicks are especially high.  Courtship takes the form of the male tossing fruit to the female, they will also groom each other and rub bills as a form of bonding.  Mated pairs, which form long-term bonds, will nest high in the canopy in abandoned woodpecker cavities.  Both parents will share equally in brooding and feeding the chicks.  Males and females look the same, although there are two species, one of which, A. h. lateralis, can be distinguished by its more colorful rump and bright yellow eyes.  All images this week are of A. h. hypoglauca unless otherwise noted.

GBMT will feed in groups with other birds including tanagers, thrushes and blackbirds, which is rare for toucans.  Another thing which is unusual about them is their propensity to feed on the ground.  The whole point of being a bird in a dense forest is that you can live in the canopy, safe from ground-based threats.  These birds do not migrate, although like some others we have learned about, will move through various altitudes throughout their range as food becomes available.  

The gray-breasted mountain toucan is considered near threatened by the IUCN due to habitat loss from agricultural development, logging and mining.  Have a good weekend, everyone. And please stay safe if you are taking to the streets.

Links: https://tinyurl.com/59cxb25w, https://tinyurl.com/2b6ppk5j, https://tinyurl.com/3wm8ezs4, https://tinyurl.com/4apk77f2, https://tinyurl.com/3wm8ezs4