Crimson Rumped Toucanet
(Aulachorynchus haematopygus)

The Crimson Rumped Toucanet (Aulachorynchus haematopygus) is one of only two species of mountain toucanets found in captivity in the U.S. It is distributed throughout the mountain forests of the Andes of Colombia east to northwestern Venezuela and south through the Pacific slope of Ecuador, where it has been seen at elevations from 1000 feet to 7,000 feet and is quite common.
The Crimson Rumped is an attractive toucanet. It is mostly dark green with a bright red rump and a beak that is chestnut red ending in a vertical white stripe at the base. The iris is dark red and the eyeskin is brown.

Aviculture: Outdoor flights should be at least 4′ x 8′ x 4′ for toucanets (Even larger flights should be used if possible!).

Toucanets may be a bit pugnacious with other species in their family and with smaller birds, and therefore should not be housed with different birds in small enclosures or cages.

Toucanets are frugivorous birds, whose primary diet is fruit. In the wild they consume fruits from as many as 100 species of plants and trees. They also consume a variety of insects for protein, especially during their nesting cycle.

They MUST be fed FRESH fruit every day! The fruit diet should also be supplemented with a low iron protein source (such as Mazuri Low Iron Softbill diet by Purina Mills).

They are not as difficult to breed as often thought and must be housed alone in pairs, preferably following the size enclosures mentioned above under housing. While they will breed in boxes, with a concave bottom, they are far more likely to breed if they are provided with a “natural” nest, constructed from a palm tree log. Logs allow these birds to continually dig their nest chamber deeper, which helps them cement the pair bond.

All Ramphastids lay pure white, elliptical shaped eggs, usually 3-4 per clutch. Incubation for all species lasts 16 days, and young fledge the nest at 40-42 days.

First captive breeding: May 1, 1970; Los Angeles Zoo.

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