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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
keel-billed
toucan |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Piciformes |
| FAMILY: |
Ramphastidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Ramphastos
(large beak) sulfuratus (yellow) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
keel-billed toucan is a large bird with mostly black
plumage and a very large multi-colored bill. It
has red and white coverts under and on top of its
tail, green skin around the eyes and lore (the area
between the eyes and the bill), a yellow face and
throat, and blue legs. |
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| SIZE: |
Approximately
50 cm (20 in); beak 20 cm (8 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Up
to 400 g (14 oz) |
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| DIET: |
Omnivorous;
mainly feeds on fruits, but occasionally eats insects,
reptiles, birds and eggs |
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| INCUBATION: |
16-20
day |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-4
eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
8-9
weeks |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
3-4 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 20 years |
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| RANGE: |
Southern
Mexico to northern Columbia |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
tropical and subtropical rainforests |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
The toucan's beak appears quite heavy, but is
actually light. It is hollow, made of the protein
keratin with thin rods of bone to support it –
similar in consistency to a hard sponge.
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| 2. |
Its
tongue is like a feather that is used to catch food
and flick it down its throat. |
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| 3. |
Although
scientists have yet to discover the exact function
of such a large bill, they believe it may play an
important role in the courtship display and as a
defensive weapon. |
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| 4. |
When
toucans sleep, they turn their head so that their
long bill rests on their back and their tail is
folded over their head. The bird becomes a ball
of feathers. Often found in abandoned tree hollows
or old woodpecker holes, 5-6 adults may sleep in
one hole. |
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| 5. |
The
keel-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize,
or "bill bird" as it is known locally. |
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| 6. |
In
its native region, toucans are associated with evil
spirits and are thought to be the incarnation of
a demon. In certain religions of South and Central
America, the father of a new child must not eat
toucan flesh as it might bewitch the newborn and
cause it to fade away. The toucan can also be a
tribal totem and the medicine man can use it as
an incarnation to fly to the spirit world. |
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| 7. |
The
toucan is a poor flyer, moving from tree to tree
mostly by hopping. |
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| 8. |
Toucans
have a loud frog like call that can be heard up
to a half mile away in the jungle! |
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Due
to this specie's range, it is the vulnerable to
heavy deforestation.
There
are areas of South and Central America where some
toucan species are rare due to hunting for food,
ornamental feathers, and trophy.
Many
species of toucan are popular in the pet trade
due to its brightly colored bill and keen intelligence.
The
U.S. Wild Bird Act forbids the commercial import
of any bird listed by CITES - endangered or threatened.
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|
|
|
Gotch,
A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole. Blandford Press, 1981.
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|
| Perrins,
C. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways, Their World.
New York. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
1979. |
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| Perrins,
C. M. and A. L.A. Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia
of Birds. New York. Facts on File Pub. 1985. |
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| Perrins,
C. M. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds:
The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World.
New York. Prentice Hall Press. 1990. |
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| Belize
Zoo: http://www.belizezoo.org/zoo/zoo/birds/tou/tou1.htm |
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| http://www.emeraldforestbirds.com/specpage/toucan.htm |
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