Aulacorhynchus whitelianus
Aulacorhynchus whitelianus, the Tepui Toucanet, is a striking jewel of the Neotropical montane forests, measuring approximately 33-38 cm (13-15 in) in length and weighing 150-200 grams. Its plumage is predominantly emerald green, complemented by a distinctive bicolored bill featuring a black mandible and a yellow or whitish maxilla with a dark base, framed by a prominent pale blue or white eye-ring. A subtle blue wash on the lower throat and upper breast, along with rufous undertail coverts, ...
Found in humid montane forests, cloud forests, and elfin woodlands on the slopes and summits of tepuis. It typically inhabits elevations ranging from 800 to 2,000 meters (2,600 to 6,600 ft).
Primarily frugivorous, consuming a wide variety of small fruits and berries; it also supplements its diet with insects, spiders, and occasionally small vertebrates like lizards or bird eggs. Foraging occurs mainly by gleaning from branches and short sallies.
The Tepui Toucanet is a diurnal species, active from dawn to dusk, often foraging in the mid to upper canopy. It moves through the dense vegetation with nimble hops and short flights, generally in pairs or small family groups of three to five individuals. Foraging involves gleaning fruits and ins...
The Tepui Toucanet is an obligate resident of the Guiana Highlands, primarily associated with the isolated, table-top mountains known as tepuis. Its core distribution spans southeastern Venezuela, specifically within Bolívar and Amazonas states, extending into southwestern Guyana and the extreme ...
Least Concern
- The Tepui Toucanet is named after Harry Whitelaw, an English ornithologist who collected specimens in British Guiana. - It belongs to a complex of "green toucanets" which have undergone significant taxonomic revisions, with A. whitelianus only recently gaining widespread species recognition. - ...