Birds: Toucan

Range: Central America and South America Habitat: rain forest canopy

Cereal, anyone?

Show any child a photo of a bird with an extraordinarily large beak and they will tell you that it's a toucan! Perhaps the most well-known South American bird, the toucan is a symbol of playfulness and intelligence that has been used quite successfully by advertisers and business owners.

The bill with a bird

Known for a bill that can be four times the size of its head and nearly as long as the rest of its body, the toucan has long baffled researchers. 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 animals 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 out, and pairs have been seen tossing fruit to one another in a courtship ritual. No matter what purpose you decide on, the toucan’s bill is a very useful tool!

Are you SURE we’re related?

Although toucans and woodpeckers may not look like they have much in common, they 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 zygodactylous. This foot design provides strength and stability when moving through dense branches, up and down tree trunks, or in and out of tree cavities.

Both toucans and woodpeckers have a long, narrow, featherlike tongue. Bristles along each side of the tongue help the bird to catch and taste food and then move it down the bird’s throat. In addition, toucans and woodpeckers have short, stiff tail feathers, or retrices, and nest in tree cavities. Also, toucans and woodpeckers tend to be mostly shiny black, but they are decorated with bright whites, yellows, oranges, reds, and greens, depending on the species.

How do they fit?!

Toucans spend their lives high in the rain forest canopy—seldom making trips to the forest floor—and nest in hollowed-out tree cavities. It might seem odd that a bird with such a large bill would choose a small, enclosed space in which to nest, but toucans have an interesting approach to getting comfortable. Once settled in its cozy nook, the toucan turns its head backwards and settles its bill down upon its back, tucked under a wing; it then flips its tail straight up and over its head. Violà! A nice, tidy ball of feathers!

Two of a kind

Noisy and social, toucans travel in loose flocks of up to 12 individuals. It is believed that toucans are monogamous, at least during the breeding season and while rearing young. Breeding occurs during the spring. Then, the 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, depending on the species. The chicks hatch with closed eyes and bare skin, completely dependent on their parents for survival. By three weeks of age their eyes open and feathers begin to appear. They stay in the nest for six to eight weeks, growing and developing the large bill they are known for before they fledge.

Carnivorous fruit eater?!

Toucans are primarily frugivores, but they are known to catch insects, eat other birds’ eggs, dine on a tree frog or lizard, and even catch fish! The large bill has serrated, or toothed, edges that help it to catch, grasp, and even skin whatever the bird might be having for lunch. The toucan at the San Diego Zoo is fed pellets made for softbills and parrots, a variety of fruit and vegetables, and crickets; grapes (a favorite food) are used for training.

Pepe, the Zoo’s ambassador

Our Swainson's toucan, Pepe (pictured at the top of this fact sheet), lives in the Children’s Zoo at the San Diego Zoo and serves as an animal ambassador. You can often hear him calling early in the morning. Also known as a chestnut-mandibled toucan, Pepe’s job is to help educate people about the troubles of South American rain forests. He visits schools, has been on TV and radio shows, and even participates in videoconferences broadcast all over the world! The biggest threat to toucans right now is habitat loss: as the rain forests are being cut down to make way for farming and buildings, all of the animals that live there are losing their homes.