The Plate-billed Mountain Toucan stands out for its blue-grey underparts and large bill patterned in red, black, and ivory. It mainly eats fruit, but also takes small animals and eggs during the breeding season.
The upperparts are brown and green, with a pale yellow rump. The throat and belly are blue-grey, with a yellow flank patch. Its large bill is mainly black with red areas and an ivory-colored plate near the base of the upper mandible.
It lives in humid montane forest and feeds mainly on many kinds of fruit. During the breeding season it also takes insects, snails, small birds, and eggs; a research paper documents a snake-predation event.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.