Return of Bird of the Week: Yellow-breasted Toucan

Another handsome, big-billed bird. When WC photographed this bird, it was a Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, but in 2009 the Chestnut-mandibled was combined with – “lumped” – the Yellow-breasted Toucan. The Chestnut-mandibled is now a subspecies. It says something about the taxonomy of Toucans that ornithologists say there are 7 to 15 species, depending on which one you are talking to. The lumped species has a considerable range, from Honduras to western Ecuador. That extensive range is one of the reasons this is a species of least concern, presently not significantly threatened. Yellow-throated Toucan is able to tolerate some human disturbance and forest…