LifespanUp to 13 years
Quick facts
HabitatForests
The Saffron Toucanet
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Tiny Toucan
A relative of toucans and aracaris, the smallish saffron toucanet occupies the Atlantic Forests of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay where it prefers to be near streams and on mountain slopes. The species moves around in pairs and small flocks.
Loud Colours, Quiet Nature
Despite being clad in carnival colours, the toucanet is secretive and low-key, feeding quietly in the forest canopy on fruits, bird eggs and nestlings. It has tomial - a tiny projection on the outer edge of its bill-serrated edges to help it grip food before swallowing it whole.
Terrific Teamwork
During courtship, the male serenades and feeds the female, while the pair preens each other. They set up nest in an abandoned woodpecker hole where two to three eggs are laid and share incubation duties.
Chicks hatch helpless but within six weeks they can leave the nest, thanks to their parents’ terrific teamwork.
Together, we protect wildlife
Paltry Populations
Life’s not easy for this feathered beauty as it faces habitat loss, forest fragmentation, hunting and poaching for the cage bird trade, making it uncommon in its domain.
Conservationists are working hard to turn things around with awareness campaigns and protected parks.
The IUCN Status
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
DD
Data Deficient
Unknown risk of extinction
LC
Least Concern
At relatively low risk of extinction
NT
Near Threatened
Likely to become vulnerable in the near future
VU
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild
EN
Endangered
At very high risk of extinction in the wild
CR
Critically Endangered
At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
EW
Extinct in the Wild
Survives only in captivity
EX
Extinct
No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity
