Toucan Barbet

*Top 50 Target Species

The Toucan Barbet is a vividly plumaged, fruit-eating bird endemic to the humid montane forests of western Ecuador and adjacent Colombia, where it inhabits elevations between 1,200 and 2,400 meters. Globally listed as Near Threatened, it faces ongoing pressure from habitat loss and trapping for the cage-bird trade, though it remains locally common in protected areas like Mindo and Mashpi. Social and cooperative, it lives in small family groups that defend territories and raise chicks communally in tree cavities. With its bold red breast, yellow belly, and thick bill, the Toucan Barbet is an unmistakable icon of Ecuador’s Chocó cloud forests.