First record of geophagy by a Ramphastidae species (Piciformes)

The use of soil as a resource has been reported for several groups of vertebrates. Among birds, geophagy had been documented for Columbidae, Cracidae, Anatidae, and Psittacidae, for some Passeriformes, and there is a single report for Picidae. However, it had never been reported for toucans (Ramphastidae). Previous studies indicate that this behavior can bring benefits, such as mineral supplementation, neutralization of toxins in the diet, and chemical and mechanical aid in the digestion process. Here, we report the first documented record of geophagy for Ramphastidae, where a single individual Red-breasted Toucan Ramphastos dicolorus, an Atlantic Forest endemic and primarily frugivorous bird, was observed consuming portions of red clay soil, next to a road in a semi-urbanized area at Guarulhos city, state of Sao Paulo. We discussed the possible reasons for this event of geophagy, probably an uncommon behavior for a toucan, which needs to be better investigated for understanding its motivation.