These are the bright and colourful Toco toucans.
- Toco toucans are colourful birds found in the central to eastern South American tropics.
- Toco toucans are from the family Ramphastidae, the family of toucans and aracaris.
- ‘Toco toucans’ are also known as ‘toucans’ and ‘common toucans’ and they have the scientific name Ramphastos toco.
- Toco toucans have a body predominately black in colour, with a throat coloured white, a yellow to orange coloured bill, and have eyes surrounded with blue skin.
- Toco toucans grow to be approximately 55 to 65 centimetres (22 to 26 inches) in length and weigh from 500 to 876 grams (1.1 to 1.9 pounds).
Toco Toucan
Image courtesy of Dario Sanches/Flickr
- Toco toucans vocalise with croaks, rattles and clacks, and they do not fly well, so they generally glide or move via tree lines.
- Toco toucans’ diet mainly consists of fruit, but they also eat small lizards, amphibians and birds, insects and eggs.
- The bill of a Toco toucan is very large in comparison to the size of the bird, that can grow to be 15.8 to 23 centimetres (6.2 to 9 inches) in length, and is used for reaching, picking and peeling fruit, and for the purpose of heat transfer.
- Toco toucans usually live in groups of six or so birds, and typically have two to four chicks each year, which hatch after around 17 to 18 days.
- Toco toucans can live up to 20 years in the wild, and are popularly kept in captivity, although they are susceptible to disease.
Bibliography:
Toco Toucan, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toco_Toucan
Toucan, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/birds/toucan/
