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Northern Emerald-Toucanet
Aulacorhynchus prasinus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyRamphastidae (Toucans)
- GenusAulacorhynchus (Green Toucanets)
- SpeciesAulacorhynchus prasinus (Northern Emerald-Toucanet)
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
9,188 Verified sightings at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve From 2019 to 2026
20,996 In all 22 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Northern Emerald-Toucanet
The northern emerald toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) also called the Wagler’s toucanet, is a species of bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It occurs in montane regions from southern Mexico to southern Panama. The northern emerald toucanet was formally described and illustrated in 1833 by the English ornithologist John Gould. He coined the binomial name Pteroglossus prasinus and specified the locality as Mexico. The specific epithet prasinus is Latin meaning "leek-green", from Ancient Greek πρασον/prason meaning "leek". The northern emerald toucanet is now one of eight toucanets placed in the genus Aulacorhynchus that was introduced in 1835 by Gould.
For many years the northern emerald toucanet was considered to have 14 subspecies. In 2008 the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) divided the subspecies into five species based on differences in morphology and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The species were the emerald toucanet (A. prasinus) with four subspecies, the blue-throated toucanet (A. caeruleogularis) with two subspecies, the white-throated toucanet (A. albivitta) with four subspecies, the black-throated toucanet (A. atrogularis) with three subspecies... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Northern Emerald-Toucanet in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 8 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 12 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 13 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Darién National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 15 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 16 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Irazú Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 18 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 19 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 20 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 21 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 22 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeaWorld Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 2 | La Paz Waterfall Gardens | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Parque del pueblo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Yaguar Xoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Macaw mountain bird park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Acuario Inbursa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Closest Relatives at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Emerald-Toucanet in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Emerald-Toucanet sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 9,188 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 412 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Northern Emerald-Toucanet in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?
March to May
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Emerald-Toucanet in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 40% in September and October, the lowest months. Those are among Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve's driest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 510 mm in October.
What time of day is best to see a Northern Emerald-Toucanet?
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Emerald-Toucanet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve the best place to see a Northern Emerald-Toucanet?
2nd of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Northern Emerald-Toucanet sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 2nd at about 60%. The best odds are in Poás Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Where does the Northern Emerald-Toucanet sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Emerald-Toucanet is recorded against all the birds logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (9,188 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
