The toucan is a bird that belongs to the ranfastid family group.
The toucan is a bird also known as diostedé or diotedé that belongs to the ranfástidae family . This animal, which lives in different regions of the American continent, is characterized by its colorful and large beak , which can have an extension similar to that of the body and is used both to collect fruits and to defend itself.
The elongated tail, short wings and small head are other characteristics of the toucan, which has black feathers combined with orange and other tones on the chest and neck.
Types of toucan
It is important to note that there are different species of toucan, such as the green toucan , the black-billed toucan , the toco toucan and the yellow toucan .
In the past, a distinction was made between true toucans and arasaris , which were smaller in size and had a different type of plumage and tail.
Its characteristics
The size of toucans varies between approximately twenty and sixty centimeters. Its habitat is also varied and includes everything from tropical jungles to mountain forests located at high altitudes.
Toucans eat eggs and young of other birds, small reptiles, insects and fruits. They build their nests in the openings of trees, where they lay up to four eggs that incubate for just over forty days.
The advance of urban construction, pollution and the destruction of jungle areas affect the habitat of toucans and, therefore, threaten their survival. Hunting is also a problem, although minor when compared to the situation of other species.
The toucan is characterized by its great color.
The toucan played
The toco toucan represents one of the toucan species best known to the general public, and this can be seen in the fact that it is used in a multitude of logos, for example, in addition to having the color combination in the beak that is most commonly used. appears in cartoons.
One of its main physical characteristics is its size, larger than the rest of the toucan species . Although the toco toucan is present in most zoos worldwide, its natural habitat is in South America.
Unlike other species, the toco toucan seems to prefer open areas with few trees, rather than dense jungles. It can be found mainly in the humid forests of countries such as Bolivia, Brazil , Guyana, Paraguay and Argentina .
Its diet focuses on fruit, although it can also hunt reptiles and insects; On the other hand, if you think it is necessary, you can eat eggs from other birds .
Its appearance
Regarding its appearance, the combination of the intense black color of its body with its white throat and a navy blue eye ring make it an animal of striking beauty . This without leaving aside its large beak , yellow except at the tip, where it has a particular black spot.
The toco toucan is very light - it weighs just over 500 grams - although its beak is large, and this is because it is almost completely hollow . The average length of this animal is around 63 centimeters; Its beak can measure 20 centimeters, so it is correct to say that it represents a third of the total extension of the body.
Its legs have four fingers, two of which point backwards, while the rest point forward, giving it the ability to cling to branches very easily. Their life expectancy is between 10 and 15 years.
As with other species of animals, the toco toucan does not present sexual dimorphism , and this means that females and males are practically the same physically, without differences such as size or coloration.