The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan mostly eats fruit, but at times it will make a snack of a passing lizard, frog or insect if it can catch one from its treetop perch.

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan Distribution

The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, also known as Swainson’s Toucan, can be found from Eastern Honduras to Colombia and Western Ecuador. This toucan is often found to inhabit lowland forests, and is found close to major bodies of water.

Mating & Reproduction

Chestnut-mandibled toucans are believed to be monogamous, and keep the same pair for life. They practice courtship feeding whereby the male will feed the female regurgitated fruit. Males will also present females with a tree bearing fruit, and either protect the tree while the female feeds or head to another tree for feeding itself. The pair will then copulate with no other displays in the courting process.

The breeding season is generally March to June in Costa Rica, but it changes depending on elevation. Hatchlings normally show up around May. These toucans often produce two to three eggs which the parents take turns caring for through the incubation period through weening.

The young Chestnut-mandibled Toucans will fledge within 46 to 50 days. It is born featherless and with its eyes sealed shut.

Behavior

These birds are primarily arboreal, and their time spent in flight is often very short. Chestnut-mandibled Toucans follow Keel-billed Toucans to their fruiting trees and watering holes, and often drive off the smaller birds. They regularly nest in trees with colonies of Keel-billed Toucans nearby, and at a site of observation in Panama the two bird species were found nesting within 17 meters of each other. Aside from fighting over food sources, these two types of Toucans do not often fight or display aggressive behavior towards one another.

The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan mostly forages fruiting trees at the forest rooftop. These birds will take eggs, nestlings, small reptiles, insects and small birds if they are within range. The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan travels in colonies of around twenty other birds.

Miscellaneous Info

The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is the second largest toucan. The largest being the Toco Toucan. The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is the largest toucan in Central America.

Locations in Costa Rica: Cahuita National Park, La Selva Biological Station, Turrialba Volcano National Park, Tortuguero National Park
Diet: fruit, small reptiles, small amphibians, eggs, nestlings
Migration Pattern: non-migratory
Habitat: lowland forests
Size: length=52-56 cm weight=599-746 grams (Males are larger than females)
Species: Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii