Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan Andigena laminirostris Scientific name definitions

Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans inhabit a restricted range and are listed as near threatened. They are threatened both by deforestation and subsequent habitat loss, and by illegal capture for the pet trade. These toucans inhabit humid and wet montane forests and secondary growth where they are partial to areas filled with bromeliads, mosses, and epiphytes. They mostly forage on a large variety of fruits but nestlings are also fed insects, eggs, birds, rodents, or snails. During times of limited fruit availability, groups of birds tend to leave their home range. The yellow rectangular plate on the upper bill helps differentiate this toucan from most others.

46–51 cm; 275–355 g. Large, with black forehead to hindneck, rest of upperparts brown and green, except for pale yellow rump ; tail blackish, central 2–3 pairs of rectrices tipped chestnut; blue-grey sides of neck; blue-grey chin to belly, with yellow patch on sides and flanks, chestnut thighs , red undertail-coverts; bill black, with reddish base narrow on maxilla, nearly half-way along on mandible, sides of maxilla near base covered by raised, square creamy or buffy yellow “plate”; facial skin blue above, yellow below; eye brown-red. Differs from both A. hypo­glauca and A. cucullata in pattern of bill, lack of blue hindcollar. Female slightly smaller than male, differs mainly in shorter bill. Immature greyer below, browner above, grey-black bill with “plate” only hinted at by yellow area, no tomial “teeth”.

W Andes from SW Colombia (Patia Canyon, in Nariño) S to C Ecuador (S possibly as far as R Chanchan).

Moist montane forest with epiphytes, mosses, bromeliads; also enters nearby secondary forest, and occurs where forest has been selectively logged. Mainly at 1300–2500 m; found occasionally down to 300 m, and rarely up to 3600 m.

Downslope and other movements noted in Colombia, with groups of up to 25 moving to lower levels in Aug; this probably due to reduced fruit availability, as groups sometimes leave home range in poor fruiting seasons, joining other groups and wandering extensively.

Mainly fruits , in Colombia of 49 plants in 22 families; especially important are species of Cecropia, arecaceous palms, Ocotea, Beilschmiedia, myrtaceous trees, Clusia, Ficus, Miconia and Blakea, the first 5 of which are important in nestling diet. Although up to 98% frugivorous, c. 16% of food provided to young is animal, e.g. beetles and other insects, snails, birds and eggs, and rodents; recorded feeding on a Caecilia sp. (Amphibia) (1 Solano-Ugalde, A. (2011). The Plate-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena laminirostris) feeding on a Caecilia spp (Gymnophiona: Amphibia). Boletín SAO. 20(2): 43–45. Close ); will tear open birds’ nests to get at chicks; captives prey on eggs and young of any birds caged with them. Largest fruits broken up by holding with foot and tearing with bill, others swallowed whole; most seeds pass through gut, but largest, such as avocado seed, regurgitated. Feeds in groups at height of 2–30 m, in one study mean height 15·2 m. Aggressive towards hole-nesters, especially Toucan-barbets (Semnornis ramphastinus), Aulacorhynchus haematopygus and woodpeckers.

Song a series of loud, braying “kyeeowp” to “kyewp”, 35–42 per minute, initiated by rattles, vocal or made by tongue against inside of bill, that gradually take on “eeeowp” sound and lose rattle element; rattles variable, up to 3 per second (usually 1–2), and some bill-snapping, but bill nearly to fully closed during many rattles; female at higher pitch; also squeak notes, “ddrak” possibly as contact call, “ek-ek” calls when pair-members close together; several begging calls; loud wing-flapping during interactions.

Mar–Oct in Colombia, Jun–Sept in Ecuador. Sometimes 2 broods, but may not breed yearly. Groups with home range break up prior to breeding, non-breeders keeping away from nest area. Often pair-members bound about, undertail-coverts erected, flank patches spread, male cocking tail; sings with bowing and bobbing of head and bill, tail flicked and cocked and lowered, undertail-coverts fluffed, very much as in species of Selenidera; male courtship-feeds female, latter stays close to nest, may solicit food from male, copulation 15–20 seconds in duration. Nest 6–30 m up in dead tree, stump, utility pole, often usurped from Toucan-barbet; some excavating occurs, and continues during nesting; captives excavate soft palm logs; nest entrance round to oval, c. 8 cm in diameter, depth c. 2 m. Eggs 2–3, laid c. 2 weeks after nest ready; both sexes incubate, female sits at night, incubation period c. 16–17 days; both also feed young, female tends to feed more often, feeding rate 1–2 times per hour, small items fed first, later larger fruits, male may feed more insects; most nest sanitation by female; nestlings open eyes at c. 4 weeks, fledging at 46–60 days, mainly 49–51 days; fledglings do not return to nest, fed by parents for 2–3 weeks, are chased from territory if second brood attempted. Nest predation often severe, usually only 1 or 2 young fledge.

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near Threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Chocó EBA. Range 14,300 km² BirdLife International (2016) Species factsheet: Andigena laminirostris. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 13/07/2016. . Common locally where forest remains more or less intact, but lives at altitudes at which clearing of forest is rampant; main causes of clearance include logging, cattle grazing, mining and agriculture. Over 30% of its habitat has been lost in Colombia, where it is considered nationally Endangered (2 Renjifo, L. M., M. F. Gómez, J. Velásquez-Tibatá, A. M. Amaya-Villarreal, G. H. Kattan, J. D. Amaya-Espinel, and J. Burbano-Girón, Editors (2014). Libro Rojo de Aves de Colombia, Volume I: bosques húmedos de los Andes y la costa Pacífica. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana & Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá D.C., Colombia. Close ). Also, illegally taken for captive-bird trade. Protective measures, and tighter enforcement of these by authorities, needed in all parts of range. Home range of 1 group 8·34 ha. Occurs in several private ecotourism properties and research stations in Ecuador (3 Welford, M. R. (2000). The importance of early successional habitats to rare, restricted-range, and endangered birds in the Ecuadorian Andes. Bird Conservation International 10(4):351–359. Close ); fairly common in 32 km² La Planada Private Nature Reserve, Colombia (4 Beltrán, J.W. (1994). Natural History of the Plate-billed Mountain Toucan Andigena laminirostris in Colombia. Center for Study of Tropical Birds, Miscellaneous Publications 2. 91 pp. Close ).