Daily Archives: December 16, 2019

Emerald Toucanet

There were at least two Emerald Toucanets at Soda Y Mirador in Cinchona, Costa Rica, overlooking St. Francisco Falls. I know I already posted at least one shot of one of them, but I have a lot more, and they are such a striking bird. In addition, we saw more Emerald Toucanets this trip than ever before, by a factor of 10. They were common and aggressively present at mid-elevation wherever we went. They are really pretty birds, but they are not nice birds. They are among the major nest, egg, and hatchling predictors in the mountains…and their prey includes the Resplendent Quetzel where they overlap. Also, through they are currently considered the same species, the Emerald Toucanets of Costa Rica are considerably different, and much more complexly colored, than the Emerald Toucanets of Honduras. The Honduran birds are very basic by comparison. They lack the blue on the throat, the white edging on the bill, and many of the blue tones in the plumage. I would not be surprised the ornithology gods someday decided they are indeed a different species…but then I am not much surprised by anything the ornithology gods do or don’t do. Sony Rx10iv at about 400mm equivalent. Anti-motion Blur mode. Processed in Polarr and Apple Photos.