Toucan

Cerealanyone? Show any child a photo of a bird with an extraordinarily large beakand they will tell you that it's a toucan! Perhaps the most well known tropical birdthe toucan is a symbol of playfulness and intelligence that has been used quite successfully by advertisers and business owners. There are several species of birds in the toucan familysome with names like aracari or toucanetbut they all sport that largecomical bill.

Why does the toucan have a bill that can be four times the size of its head and nearly as long as the rest of its body? Some say that the large and brightly colored bill is used to attract potential mates. Others suggest it is useful in scaring away predators or other wildlife that might compete with the toucan for food. Still others believe it is an adaptation that allows the toucan to reach food way out at the ends of branches that are not strong enough to hold the bird itself. Toucans are known to reach deep into tree cavities to grab eggs from other birds or to dig deeply into their own nesting cavities to clear them outand pairs have been seen tossing fruit to one another in a courtship ritual. No matter what purpose you decide onthe toucan’s bill is a very useful tool! 

Their famous bill is of lightbut stoutconstruction and is hollow except for a network of bony fibers that run crisscross through the top for strength and support. It is made of keratinthe same thing our hair and fingernails are made of. Having such a lightweight bill allows the toucan to perch on the thinnest of branches to reach for the ripest of fruit!

The word “toucan” comes from the sound the bird makes. Their songs often resemble croaking frogs. Toucans combine their extensive vocal calls with tapping and clattering sounds from their bill. Many toucans make barkingcroakingand growling soundsand mountain toucans make braying sounds like those of a donkey. Females generally have a higher voice than the males.

Although toucans and woodpeckers may not look like they have much in commonthey are in the same taxonomic order (Piciformes) and have a lot in common. Like woodpeckers—and the parrots and macaws they share the forest with—toucans are zygodactylousmeaning they have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward. This foot design provides strength and stability when moving through dense branchesup and down tree trunksor in and out of tree cavities.

Both toucans and woodpeckers have a tongue that is longnarrowand feather-like. Bristles along each side of the tongue help the birds catch and taste food before moving it down the throat. In additiontoucans and woodpeckers have shortstiff tail featherscalled rectricesand nest in tree cavities. Both toucans and woodpeckers tend to be mostly shiny blackbut they are decorated with bright whitesyellowsorangesredsand greensdepending on the species.

How do they fit?! Toucans spend their lives high in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America; they seldom make trips to the forest floor. Home for the toucan is a nest in a hollowed-out tree cavity. It might seem odd that a bird with such a large bill would choose a smallenclosed space in which to nestbut the toucan has an interesting approach to getting comfortable. Once settled in its cozy nookthe toucan turns its head backward and settles its bill down upon its backtucked under a wing. It then flips its tail straight up and over its head. Violà! A nicetidy ball of feathers.

They are primarily frugivores and generally start their day with early morning visits to fruiting trees in their home area before making longer journeys in search of new fruit sites. Toucans are known to catch insectsdine on a tree frog or lizardand even catch fish! They also steal eggs from other birds’ nests. 

The large bill has serratedor toothededges that help the bird catchgraspand even skin whatever it might be having for lunch. Once a full belly is achievedtoucans may playfully spar with each other while the fruit digests before returning to their home roosting tree for the night.

The toucans at the San Diego Zoo eat pellets made for softbills and parrotsa variety of fruit and vegetablesand crickets. Grapes and bananas are used for positive reinforcement when teaching the birds new behaviors for healthcare or enrichment.

Noisy and socialtoucans travel in loose flocks of up to 22 individuals. Although most toucans live in groupsit is believed that they are monogamousat least during the breeding season and while rearing young. Breeding occurs during the spring. Thenthe female lays one to five shiny white eggs deep in a tree cavity; both the male and female incubate the eggs for 15 to 18 days. 

The chicks hatch with closed eyes and bare skincompletely dependent on their parents for survival. By three weeks of agetheir eyes open and feathers begin to appear. They stay in the nest for six to eight weeksgrowing and developing the large bill they are known for before they fledge.

Life is not all fruit and play for toucans. Predators to watch out for include forest eagleshawksand owls; boasjaguarsand margays often invade toucan nests. Their enormous bill is useless in defending against predators andin factattracts humans to catch them for the pet trade. To protect themselvesthey depend on their loud voices to scare off enemies and alert other toucans to the danger. They may also strike their bill against a branch in a defensive display.

The biggest threat to toucans right now is habitat loss. As the rainforests are being cut down to make way for roadsfarmsand buildingsall of the wildlife that live there are losing their homes. The yellow-browed toucanet has a very small range in Peru. Coca growers have taken over its forest homemaking this toucan the only one to be listed as endangeredbut many others are becoming threatened.

Toucans are still hunted in parts of Central America and the Amazon region. Hunters often mimic toucan calls to draw the birds close. Many toucans are captured for the pet trade or for use as stuffed trophies to hang on a wall.