Choco Toucan vs coast amaranth

Ramphastos brevis compared with Amaranthus pumilus

Key Differences

• Choco Toucan is Least Concern while coast amaranth is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Choco Toucan	coast amaranth
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Piciformes (Piciformes)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Ramphastidae	Amaranthaceae
Genus	Ramphastos	Amaranthus
Species	Ramphastos brevis	Amaranthus pumilus

Conservation Status

Choco Toucan

LC — Least Concern

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Choco Toucan	coast amaranth
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Choco Toucan

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

coast amaranth

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Japan.

Choco Toucan

The Choco Toucan (Ramphastos brevis) is a large, colourful toucan in the family Ramphastidae, endemic to the humid forests of the Chocó biogeographic region along the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador. Toucans are instantly recognisable by their enormous, brightly coloured bills — in this species, the bill is broadly yellow with a dark culmen ridge — which are used for reaching fruit on slender branches, as thermoregulatory organs, and in social and aggressive displays. The Choco Toucan is closely related to the Chestnut-mandibled Toucan and was previously considered conspecific. It inhabits lowland and foothill tropical rainforest, forest edges, and large trees in more open areas, occurring from sea level to approximately 1,200 metres. It feeds primarily on large fruits, supplemented by insects, lizards, small mammals, and the eggs and nestlings of smaller birds. Toucans are important seed dispersers in Neotropical forests, swallowing large seeds that pass through their digestive systems and are deposited at distance from parent trees. The IUCN classifies the Choco Toucan as Least Concern. While extensive deforestation in the Chocó is a long-term concern, the species still occupies a broad range of forested habitats and appears to tolerate some habitat modification.

coast amaranth

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.