Home
SEE TRIPS
  • Top Destinations
PLAN MY VISIT →
  1. Home
  2. Flora & Fauna
  3. Bird

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii) Spanish name: Dios-te-de, Toucan de Swainson

Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
←→
  • Sightings

  • Aviarios del Caribe Reserve
    La Selva Biological Station
    Carara National Park
    Cahuita National Park
    Corcovado National Park
    Curi-Cancha Reserve
    Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve
    Irazu Volcano National Park
    Tortuguero National Park
    Sirena Biological Station

    Habitat

    This large frugivore lives in the canopy of lowland and highland wet forests.

    Range

    The total range for this bird includes the area between eastern Honduras and northern Colombia.

    Physical Description/Interesting Biology

    The largest toucan in Central America, the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, is a prominent member of its habitat. These large, brightly marked birds call to each other in piercing tones, especially in the morning, and small flocks can create a boisterous commotion from their conspicuous perches. Groups of about 20 will travel together through and forage in the canopy, semi-open areas, or clearings with remaining tall trees. Closer to nightfall, flocks congregate at tall emergent trees or tall dead snags and call together.

    Aside from the male's larger size, the two sexes look alike: a black body bibbed in bright yellow, a white rump, and red on the underside of its tail feathers. The distinctly shaped and bicolor bill is brown and yellow, huge and curved. Although the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan may appear similar to the Keel-billed Toucan, the Chestnut-mandibled has a deeper yellow bib, is somewhat larger, and dominates the Keel-billed at fruiting trees. Toucans have large bills that are hollow, lightweight, and dexterous, enabling the birds to snatch fruit or prey without hazarding a leap onto branches too small for the toucan's weight.

    Bright plumage in birds is often related to courtship or territorial behaviors, but copulation for these birds notably lacks any sort of display, precursor, or ritual, and the entire process lasts less than 5 seconds. The mating pair, however, stays together for the season, and forage and parent together. They make their nest in tree cavities in living or dead trees, or in old woodpecker holes for 2 to 3 eggs, and raise the chicks together.

    A male will also feed his mate fruit, and they will preen each other. Even after breeding stops, a male will allow only his mate to forage in "his' section of a fruiting tree. Their foraging cooperation is more extensive: often a male arrives first at a tree, and the female follows him soon thereafter; he leaves before all the fruit is eaten, and she finishes it while he moves to the next tree. This strategy of dominating two trees at once helps both of them gain more food, because most other birds leave toucans arrive. The Chestnut-mandibled may also chase the Keel-billed Toucan out of water-filled hollows that they use for bathing and drinking.

    This toucan has an important ecological role as a seed disperser for certain trees such as Virola; if, however, an individual tree produces many fruits at once, the toucan may stay nearby and eat a lot from it, and does not disperse the seeds. The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan is usually visible in the canopy, but sometimes needs to search through the understory or on the forest floor for small animals to round out their diet.

    Diet

    This toucan eats a variety of fruit, including different seeds, berries, drupes, arilloids, and fruit fleshes. They will also take insects or small snakes, and hunt for birds' eggs, nestlings, and lizards.

    Height/Weight

    Adult females are generally 52 cm long and weigh 580 g; males are 56 cm and weigh 750 g.

    Brief Taxonomy

    Order: Piciformes
    Family: Ramphastidae

    Sources

    H. F. Howe in: Janzen, Daniel H. Costa Rican Natural History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.

    Henderson, Carrol L. Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica. University of Texas Press, Austin, 2002.

    Skutch, Alexander F. and F. Gary Stiles. A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica. Utica: Cornell University Press,1989.

    Stiles, F. G. in: Janzen, Daniel H. Costa Rican Natural History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.

    Kricher, John. A Neotropical Companion: an introduction to the animals, plants, and ecosystems of the New World tropics. Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ, 1997.

    Amy Strieter, Wildlife Writer

  • Similar Profiles

  • Chestnut-fronted Macaw
    Three-wattled Bellbird
    Chestnut-headed Oropendola
    Resplendent Quetzal
    Bare-necked Umbrellabird
    Turquoise-browed Motmot, Bird - Vertebrate
    Black Witch
    Turkey Vulture
    Long-tailed Manakin
    Great Green Macaw
    Keel-billed Toucan
    Magnificent Frigatebird
    Blue-and-Yellow Macaw
    Bananaquit
    Violet Sabrewing
    Fiery-billed Aracari and Collared Aracari
    Brown Pelican
    Long-tailed Hermit
    Scarlet Macaw
    Green Heron
    Excellent!
    Trustpilot Rating
    Based on 705 reviews
    Trustpilot
    Will use them again!
    Communicative, helpful and honest. They stuck to my budget and accommodated my changes. My kids and I had such a good ti...
    Dec 01, 2022
    – Kayla C.
    Trustpilot Rating
    100 Stars!!
    If I could give 100 stars, I would wholeheartedly. All the booked activities were excellent and pricing was unbeatable. ...
    Nov 30, 2022
    – Ravi D.
    Trustpilot Rating
    One of the best I have ever used
    Having traveled a lot, I have used many travel companies. The responsiveness and efforts to meet our needs were unmatche...
    Dec 08, 2022
    – A. Hershe.
    Trustpilot Rating
    Above & Beyond in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, & Laos
    Thank you to the entire team that made this trip so memorable for us. We appreciate your warmth and going above and beyo...
    Jun 20, 2022
    – Sapna
    Trustpilot Rating
    Best way to travel!
    I trusted Harold from Anywhere.com to plan my family's vacation. Harold went above and beyond in making sure that our tr...
    Oct 04, 2021
    – Shivani P.
    Trustpilot Rating
    Profesionalism at its Best
    My experience with Anywhere.com in Costa Rica was perfection. All of the drivers were punctual and pleasant; and all of ...
    Aug 02, 2021
    – Natasha I.
    Trustpilot Rating
    Anywhere is OUTSTANDING!
    My family & I have used Anywhere to organize 3 vacations- Costa Rica, Peru, & now Ecuador. I would not hesitate to use t...
    Jul 29, 2021
    – Kara V.
    Trustpilot Rating
    Awesome vacation, everything went smoothly
    Our agent (Erick) planned a great trip for our family of 5. All the tours were excellent, all the transport and lodging ...
    Mar 17, 2020
    – David
    Trustpilot Rating
    Everything Anywhere said they would do…
    Everything Anywhere said they would do they did. Very professional and friendly staff.
    Mar 16, 2020
    – Darrell
    Trustpilot Rating
    We were very reassured in constructing…
    We were very reassured in constructing our trip using Anywhere.com as the team responded promptly to our questions in a ...
    Mar 16, 2020
    – Michael
    Trustpilot Rating
    Great service!
    Great service!
    Mar 15, 2020
    – Kyle K
    Trustpilot Rating
    If I could give 100+stars, I would.
    If I could give 100+stars, I would.
    Mar 15, 2020
    – Jerry Pos.
    Trustpilot Rating
    I gave Anywhere a 48hr turnaround time…
    I gave Anywhere a 48hr turnaround time before our departure to provide an itineary based on what we already researched a...
    Mar 14, 2020
    – Thomas hi.
    Trustpilot Rating
    Anywhere.com was so easy to work with
    Anywhere.com was so easy to work with. They made booking my transfers a pleasant experience. And I even had some last ...
    Mar 14, 2020
    – Ashley Ba.
    Trustpilot Rating
    Perfectly planned
    Perfectly planned. The trip went off with all (5) transfers on time and all our accommodations meeting or exceeding our...
    Mar 14, 2020
    – John C.
    Trustpilot Rating

    Let's Dream Together

    Share your bucketlist to get inspiration and local connections.

    We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.

    Costa Rica Vacations
    • Adventure
    • All-inclusive
    • Beach
    • Budget
    • Eco-tourism
    • Family
    • Group
    • Honeymoon
    • Luxury
    • Nature
    • Private
    • Rainforest
    • Romantic
    Highlights
    • Top Destinations
    • Beaches
    • Rainforests
    • Cloudforest
    • Volcanoes
    • Waterfalls
    • Surfing
    • Leisure
    • Off the Beaten Path
    • Airports
    Costa Rica Travel
    • Maps
    • Safety
    • Weather & Climate
    • Sustainability
    • Holiday Season
    • Currency
    • Driving & Car Rental
    • Getting Around
    PLACES TO GO
    • Arenal Volcano & Hot Springs
    • Monteverde Cloudforests
    • Manuel Antonio Beach & Jungle
    • Tamarindo Beach
    • Santa Theresa & Malpais Beaches
    • Puerto Viejo Beach
    • Nosara Beach
    • Jaco Beach
    • Tortuguero Rainforest
    • Corcovado Rainforest
    • Rincon de la Vieja Volcano & Waterfall
    • Nicoya Peninsula
    • Guanacaste Beaches
    • Osa Peninsula
    THINGS TO DO
    • Hot Springs
    • Zip Lines
    • Suspension Bridges
    • Horseback
    • Rappel
    • Wildlife
    • Hiking
    • Chocolate Farms
    • Whitewater Rafting
    • Coffee Farms
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Surfing
    • Sport Fishing
    • Birdwatching
    • Scuba Diving
    • Catamaran Cruise
    • Indigenous Culture
    • Yoga
    • Wellness
    • Cave Exploration
    Trustpilot 5 of 5 rated service
    Trustpilot "Excellent"
    Plan My Visit→+1 (888) 456-3212
    MessengerContact AnywhereWhatsapp ContactCall USA: +1-888-456-3212

    © 2023 Anywhere Inc. All rights reserved.Privacy Policy