Aracari

They are brightly plumaged and have enormous, contrastingly patterned bills. They live in forests and woodlands of the Neotropics.

Taxonomy

The genus Pteroglossus was introduced in 1811 by the German zoologist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger. The name combines the Ancient Greek pteron meaning "feather" with glōssa meaning "tongue". George Robert Gray designated the black-necked aracari as the type species of the genus in 1840.

The name "Aracari" was used in 1648 by the German naturalist Georg Marcgrave for the black-necked aracari in his book Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. The name comes from the word Arassari, the name of the bird in the Tupi language.

One species, the distinctive saffron toucanet, was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Baillonius, but Renato Kimura and collaborators showed in 2004 that it belongs in the genus Pteroglossus.

The cladogram below is based on a molecular phylogenetic study by Swati Patel and collaborators that was published in 2010.

Extant species

Twelve species are considered to belong to the genus Pteroglossus:

Former species

Some authorities, either presently or formerly, recognize additional species or subspecies as species belonging to the genus Pteroglossus including:

• Wagler's toucanet (as Pteroglossus wagleri)
• Emerald toucanet (as Pteroglossus prasinus)
• White-throated toucanet (as Pteroglossus albivitta)
• Black-throated toucanet (as Pteroglossus atrogularis)
• Groove-billed toucanet (as Pteroglossus sulcatus)
• Crimson-rumped toucanet (as Pteroglossus haematopygus)
• Guianan toucanet (as Pteroglossus Culik)
• Golden-collared toucanet (as Pteroglossus reinwardtii)
• Langsdorff's toucanet (as Pteroglossus langsdorffii)
• Tawny-tufted toucanet (as Pteroglossus nattereri)
• Gould's toucanet (as Pteroglossus gouldii)
• Spot-billed toucanet (as Pteroglossus maculirostris)
• Gray-breasted mountain toucan (as Pteroglossus hypoglaucus)
• Hooded mountain toucan (as Pteroglossus cucullatus)
• Black-billed mountain toucan (as Pteroglossus nigrirostris)