28-3-2017 CARRERA NATIONAL PARK, COSTA RICA - YELLOW THROATED TOUCAN (Ramphastos ambiguus)

The yellow-throated toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus) is a Near Threatened species of bird in the family Ramphastidae, the toucans, toucanets, and aracaris. It is found from Honduras south into northern South America and beyond to Peru.

Most of the data on the yellow-throated toucan's diet and foraging behavior are from studies of the wide-ranging R. a. swainsonii. It is primarily a fruit eater, with small amounts of animal matter such as insects and other arthropods, small lizards, and the eggs and young of other birds. Most of the animal matter is apparently fed to nestlings. The species forages mainly in the forest canopy, singly, in pairs, or in small groups, but also retrieves fallen fruit from the ground. They take fruit by hopping from branch to branch and may hang upside down to reach it. Though the species is not territorial, individuals often defend a single fruiting tree.