Small, sexually dimorphic toucan 34–38 cm long. Male: glossy black head, neck and underparts; striking lemon‑yellow ear patch bordered by white; nape olive‑green; upperparts dark green; undertail coverts scarlet. Bill laterally compressed (length 7–9 cm) with black maxilla, white culmen stripe, and chestnut mandible; basal two‑thirds pale bluish‑green. Female: crown and nape rich chestnut; throat buffy white; yellow ear patch reduced. Bare orbital skin turquoise; legs slate‑blue. Tail squared, green above, dusky below. Weight 200–260 g. Juveniles duller with brown ear patch and shorter bill.
Yes — male black‑and‑yellow; female chestnut‑headed; bill pattern similar.
Total length 34–38 cm; wingspan ≈ 48 cm
200–260 g
10–14 yr wild; up to 18 yr captivity
Data deficient
Data deficient
≈ 2 yr
March – June (late dry / early wet season)
2–4 white eggs; usually one clutch yr⁻¹
Small, sexually dimorphic toucan 34–38 cm long. Male: glossy black head, neck and underparts; striking lemon‑yellow ear patch bordered by white; nape olive‑green; upperparts dark green; undertail coverts scarlet. Bill laterally compressed (length 7–9 cm) with black maxilla, white culmen stripe, and chestnut mandible; basal two‑thirds pale bluish‑green. Female: crown and nape rich chestnut; throat buffy white; yellow ear patch reduced. Bare orbital skin turquoise; legs slate‑blue. Tail squared, green above, dusky below. Weight 200–260 g. Juveniles duller with brown ear patch and shorter bill.
Restricted to humid Caribbean‑slope foothill and lower‑montane rainforest (500 – 1 500 m), often along ridge crests and steep ravines with abundant palms and hemiepiphytic figs; tolerates tall secondary forest but avoids open pasture.
Primarily frugivore (≈ 80 %) on Ilex, Prestoea, Ficus; supplements with large insects, anoles and frogs; important mid‑elevation seed disperser.
Social Structure & Behaviour
Activity pattern: diurnal; active 06:00–11:00 & 15:00–17:00.
Group size: usually pairs or trios (breeding pair + 1 helper); gather up to 8 at large fruiting trees.
Breeding system: seasonal monogamy; helpers occasionally feed nestlings.
Territoriality: pairs maintain 3–4 ha territories, defended with duet calls and wing‑flick displays.
Communication: duet of 10–20 sharp “tik” notes; bill clacks in close contact; male displays yellow ear patch by head‑tilting.
Special behaviours: regurgitates fruit seeds intact, wiping bill on moss; roosts communally inside vertical cavities with bills pointed upward.
Emits a rapid, far‑carrying “tí‑tí‑tí‑tí‑tí” duet; sexes call alternately.
Sexual dichromatism unique among Costa‑Rican toucans: female’s chestnut head provides camouflage on nest.
Frequently joins mixed flocks of tanagers and furnariids at fruiting Ilex trees.
Shares nest‑cavity attendance with non‑breeding helpers that may be previous offspring.
Infrared studies show the bill can radiate up to 30 % of resting metabolic heat.
Apothecial, stalked cup fungus 1 – 3 cm in diameter held atop a slender, whitish stipe 2 – 5 cm tall. Cup exterior and limb densely covered with fine white to translucent bristles (setae) 1–2 mm long; inner hymenial surface smooth, vivid salmon‑pink to orange. Flesh thin, rubbery; when hydrated the cup margin flares outward. Asci cylindrical, eight‑spored; ascospores hyaline, ellipsoid, 40 – 48 × 6 – 8 µm with guttules. Emits no noticeable odour. Often fruits in small, trooping clusters on well‑decayed hardwood sticks.