| White-throated Toucan (Ramphastos tucanus) was formerly considered to be two species, with the southern and western nominate subspecies, Ramphastos tucanus tucanus, named as the Red-billed Toucan, and the northern and eastern subspecies, Ramphastos tucanus cuvieri, as the Cuvier's Toucan (when considered a species; Ramphastos cuvieri, Wagler, 1827). However, the two subspecies, which differ principally in the bill colour, interbreed freely wherever they meet and therefore merit only subspecies status. The subspecies Ramphastos tucanus inca from Bolivia is of questionable validity and may represent a stable hybrid population between tucanus and culminatus. |
