TOUCANSBrenna Erbst

Mr. BuchmannBiology 5º

9 May 2011

Back To Basics

• Common name: TOUCAN

• Scientific Name: RAMPHASTOS SULFURATAS

• Natural Habitat: RAINFOREST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

Toucan Diet/ Digestion

• Toucans mainly eat fruits they find among various plants, including Guavas and palm fruits.

• As they cannot chew their food due to their giant beaks, they hold the fruit in their mouth and, tilting their head back, toss the fruit up in the air, swallowing it whole.

• The toucan is similar to owls, in the sense that they regurgitate the lesser parts of the fruit, helping to spread seeds of fruits to new areas, resulting in new plant growth.

• Toucans also eat a variety of small animals, easily including frogs, snakes, and insects.

Statistics

• The average length of a toucan’s beak can range anywhere from 7 to 9 inches depending on the type of toucan

• Toucans can live to be around twenty years old

• A toucan’s body is usually about two feet long including the beak.

Habitat

The toucan lives in the Rainforests of central and southern Brazil, due to the need of forest greenery to exist

comfortably. They reside in the canopy of the Rainforest, barely

leaving the concealment of the tops of the trees.

What’s UP With That Beak??• Despite the impression of a heavy, uncomfortable

growth on the end of a toucan’s face, their beaks are surprisingly light, as the interior is a substance similar to foam, along with air.

• The Beak’s intended purpose is to allow Toucans to rest inside trees and still reach their desired food, when no branches will hold their body weight.

• The size and color of a toucan’s beak varies depending on the type of toucan. For instance, the Toco toucan is the species of toucan with the longest bill of them all, ranging form 8 to 9 inches in length.

• The unique color patterns on each toucan’s beak serves as a mating device, attracting toucans of the opposite gender.

Mating and Offspring

• The toucan’s beak is a device used to attract other toucans for mating purposes

• The “Breeding season” for toucans is defined somewhere between march and may

• Baby Toucans are born Blind and without bills!

• The average size of a Nest of Toucans is 1 to 4 offspring

Interesting facts

• The toucan’s biggest predator is the jaguar.• Toucans are considered one of the noisiest birds

in the world! However, despite popular opinion, their oversized beaks are not a contributing factor to this

• As they prefer to stay in the canopy, when they need to take a bath, they find puddles of rainwater in a hallow tree or on a leaf and bath there as opposed to flying down to the forest floor

• When they sleep, they turn their heads around and tuck their beaks into their wings, just like most birds.

Works CitedCadena, Chris, and Gianlucca Pellegrini. "Toucan." Colegio F.D. Roosevelt

(The American School of Lima). 2007. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.amersol.edu.pe/ms/7th/7block/jungle_research/cards/40card.html>.

Machacek, Erin, and Gina Champigny. "Toucans." Golden Hills Curriculum & Instructional Supports. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.ghsd-curriculum.com/inquiry/projects/rainforest/animals/animal_toucan.html>.

Miller, Claire. "Talk About Toucans | Ranger Rick | Find Articles at BNET." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. Gale Group, 2004. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EPG/is_10_33/ai_55746724/>.

Rajeev, Loveleena. "Toucans Habitat." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/toucans-habitat.html>.

"Toucan." Honolulu Zoo Home Page. Honolulu Zoo. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://www.honoluluzoo.org/toucan.htm>.