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Animal World
Toco Toucan — photograph 1
📷 Wikimedia Commons · Free License
IUCN: Least Concern

Toco Toucan

Ramphastos toco

KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassAves›OrderPiciformes›FamilyRamphastidae›GenusRamphastos
About

The toco toucan is a species of bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is the largest species of toucan and has a distinctive appearance, with a black body, a white throat, chest and uppertail-coverts, and red undertail-coverts. Its most conspicuous feature is its huge beak, which is yellow-orange with a black base and a large spot on the tip.

It is endemic to South America, where it has a wide distribution from the Guianas south to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and its range has recently been expanding southwards. Unlike other toucans, which inhabit continuous forests, toco toucans inhabit a variety of semi-open habitats at altitudes of up to 1,750 m (5,740 ft). They are especially common in the Brazilian cerrado, gallery forests, and the wetlands of the Pantanal.

Key Facts
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Habitat
Semi-open habitats — forest edges, woodland, savanna, and orchards
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Diet
Omnivore — primarily fruit; also insects, eggs, lizards, nestlings
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Size & Weight
Body 55–65 cm; bill up to 20 cm; weight 500–876 g
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Lifespan
Up to 20 years wild
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Range
Eastern South America — from Amazon basin to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina
Bird
Photo Credits
#1Wikimedia Commons · Free License
#2Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0
#3Carlos Eduardo B. Colucci · CC BY-SA 4.0