![]() ![]() They seldom make trips to the forest floor. This is not an obstacle or a risk to the toucan’s safety, as they spend nearly all their lives high in the forest canopy. They are capable of flight, but only for small distances. Toucans have a relatively small wingspan, about the length of their own bodies. Toucans are known as particularly vocal birds suggesting that they are not too concerned about predators finding them. Toucans are mainly black and white, but have variations of yellow, orange and green depending on the species. The brightly colored aspect of the birds may be seen as a potential weakness for defense against predators, but because toucans reside in the colorful tropical forests of South America, their coloring actually affords them adequate camouflage. This helps them catch and taste their food before moving it down their throats. Toucans have a long, narrow, feather-like tongue with bristles along the sides. They may even eat small lizards, frogs, birds or the eggs of other birds from time to time if available. Toucans are omnivorous and eat a combination of fruit, vegetation, nuts, seeds and insects. They use it for picking fruit from branches too small to support their considerable weight, and as a tool for stripping away the outer rind of their findings. The bill of the toucan may be an ineffectual weapon, but it certainly serves many other important functions. The inside edges of the bill are serrated to aid in catching, grasping and tearing food. Much of the structure is made up of air, making it a useless defense mechanism against potential prey. ![]() Keratin is what makes up the hair and nails of humans. The structure of the bill actually resembles a honeycomb of bone-like material called Keratin. Toucans do use their bills in a particularly fascinating mating ritual in which they toss fruit back and forth to one another.Īlthough the large, colorful bill may be daunting in size and appearance to rivals, it does not provide much in the way of weaponry. However, since females possess the same dramatic trait, it is not likely that males are chosen for mating based on their bills. Because of its colorful appearance, it was first believed that male toucans used their bills during breeding competition. A full grown toucan, male or female, has a colorful bill seven and a half inches in length, nearly half the size of the bird. Toucans are most recognized for their oversized bill. The smallest toucan species, the tawny-tufted toucanet, is only about 12.5 inches in height at maturity. They average just over two feet in height and 20 ounces in weight. In comparison to North American birds, toucans grow to be quite large. The females of the species tend to have higher vocal ranges than males. Toucans combine their vocal range with different taps and clicks from their bills. Other species of toucan have a variety of chirps, barks, growls, croaks, and even donkey-like braying as part of their songs. Their song often resembles frogs croaking. Toucans acquired their name from the sound that they make. All species of toucans are of the Order Piciformes, to which woodpeckers also belong. The most common and recognizable species of toucan bears the scientific name, Ramphastos toco. Found only in the tropical forests of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, there are more than 40 species of toucans alive today. The iconic toucan is known the world over for its large, colorful bill. ![]()
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