Thursday, 8 January 2026

Blue-throated Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus caeruleogularis)

OTHER NAMES: Northern Emerald Toucanet
Latin Etymology: Aulacorhynchus ("groove beak") caeruleogularis ("cerulean throated")

Blue-throated Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus caeruleogularis) at San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica - November 2025


Featured Subspecies: Aulacorhynchus caeruleogularis maxillaris
Weight: 120-185g  /  Length: 29-37cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

An endearingly plump toucanet of the mountains of Central America, its cute exterior actually hides a somewhat dark secret - part of their diet consists of eggs and particularly their nest raiding of resplendant quetzals surpresses breeding of that species. Their taxonomy is unresolved, with it either being treated as the species as presented here, or part of a wider species named the Northern Emerald Toucanet which itself was split from the now Southern Emerald Toucanet.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Piciformes
Family: Ramphastidae
Genus: Caeruleogularis
SUBSPECIES: A. c. caeruleogularis, A. c. cognatus 
 
- Sighting Locations - 

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Tucanete Gorjiazul
Found in Talamancan Montane Forest
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at San Gerardo de Dota 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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