Toco Toucan.
The Toco Toucan, the largest and best-known toucan species, is at home in South America's tropical forests. Its oversized, colorful bill has made it one of...
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The Toco Toucan, the largest and best-known toucan species, is at home in South America's tropical forests. Its oversized, colorful bill has made it one of the world's most popular birds.
They can weigh nearly two pounds and grow to 25 inches long, with their bill accounting for nearly half of their length.
Both male and female toucans possess large, colorful bills. Their exact purpose isn't clear, though they're believed to play a role in the courthship ritual and in self-defense. As a weapon, however, the bill is more show than substance. It's a lightweight honeycomb of keratin—the same protein that makes up fingernails and horn—supported by thin rods of bone. While its size may deter predators, it is of little use in fighting them. The Toco Toucan can also regulate the flow of blood to its bill, allowing the bird to use it as a way to distribute heat away from its body.
The bill is useful as a feeding tool. The birds use them to reach fruit on branches that are too small to support their weight. And the bill's serrated edges are useful for peeling fruit. In addition to fruit such as figs, oranges, and guavas, they eat insects and eggs and nestlings of young birds.
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They can weigh nearly two pounds and grow to 25 inches long, with their bill accounting for nearly half of their length.
Both male and female toucans possess large, colorful bills. Their exact purpose isn't clear, though they're believed to play a role in the courthship ritual and in self-defense. As a weapon, however, the bill is more show than substance. It's a lightweight honeycomb of keratin—the same protein that makes up fingernails and horn—supported by thin rods of bone. While its size may deter predators, it is of little use in fighting them. The Toco Toucan can also regulate the flow of blood to its bill, allowing the bird to use it as a way to distribute heat away from its body.
The bill is useful as a feeding tool. The birds use them to reach fruit on branches that are too small to support their weight. And the bill's serrated edges are useful for peeling fruit. In addition to fruit such as figs, oranges, and guavas, they eat insects and eggs and nestlings of young birds.
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People's Choice in Toucan Photo Challenge
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