Reappearance of a species thought to be extinct: new records of the Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco) in Tucumán province, Argentina

Abstract

The Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco Statius Müller, 1776) is found in woods and forests of nor thern Argentina. It is a species that is valued as a pet, which, added to habitat loss, has caused its numbers to fall. It was considered to be extinct in the province of Tucumán due to loss of the Pedemontana Forest. Never theless, we recently observed two toucanes in the Sala Valley, close to the Sierra de San Javier Park. Locals have also observed this species in the past few years. Other toucanes have been photographed further north, at a site called La Higuera. The reasons for the toucan’s reappearance in the province are not very clear, one possibility being the recovery of par ts of the Yungas corridor in the province.