Fun Green Toucanet Facts For Kids

The green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is a member of the toucan family which is characterized by a striking green colored plumage. Birds of this species have yellow bills, which have patterns in black color. The yellow and green colors create a striking contrast and make these birds very beautiful.

From northern Nicaragua and northern Guatemala to southern and southeastern Mexico, this member of the toucan family is found in large numbers and is often taken as a pet. Birds of this species lay three or four white eggs in each clutch and show great parenting skills. Keep reading to know more facts about these green toucanets.

Green Toucanet Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a green toucanet?

The green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is a bird species from Mexico and is also referred to as the Mexican toucanet.

What class of animal does a green toucanet belong to?

The scientific name of the class that the green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) belongs to is Aves. Commonly this class is referred to as birds.

How many green toucanets are there in the world?

Unfortunately, there are no conclusive reports that would tell us the exact number of green toucanets or emerald toucanets that there are in the world. However, since these birds are commonly kept as pets, it can be assumed that their global population is pretty stable.

There are some subspecies of emerald toucanets, which are southeastern Mexico, southern Mexico, northern Nicaguara, northern Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador toucanets.

Where does a green toucanet live?

The Aulacorhynchus prasinus species is known to inhabit humid forests. These birds are also found in woodlands, and prefer living in places of higher elevation. The green toucanet distribution is therefore quite limited.

What is a green toucanet's habitat?

Although limited, the green toucanet habitat is in parts of Mexico such as southeastern and southern Mexico, El Salvador, northern Guatemala, Belize and northern Nicaragua. The green toucanet's habitat range is therefore largely contained within Mexico and neighboring areas, which is why the species is also often known as a Mexican toucanet.

Other related species, such as the blue throated toucanet, can be found in places like Costa Rica, where they can find ample vegetation and insects to feed on.

Who do green toucanets live with?

The green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus), as a species, is known to be quite social. These birds have a friendly temperament and would be found living in small flocks. This also means that this bird species from southern Mexico thrives when kept with at least one other bird of the same species in captivity.

How long does a green toucanet live?

The average lifespan of a green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is around 12-14 years. The numbers vary according to living standards. Birds of this species tend to live longer in captivity since the environment and diet is regulated aptly. They can live up to 20 years old when kept in a nurturing and peaceful environment.

How do they reproduce?

The green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is an oviparous bird species. This essentially means that birds of this species tend to lay eggs instead of giving birth to live ones like mammals do. Around three to four eggs are laid by the female in each clutch and they are incubated for 14-15 days.

When the eggs hatch, nestlings are taken care of by both parent birds. Nestlings are fed for several weeks, even after they have fledged. Green toucanets lay white eggs and nestlings fledge in about six weeks.

What is their conservation status?

 The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List specifies that the conservation status of the green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) is that of Least Concern. This means that the global population of these birds is stable and that we will have them around for a long time to come.

Green Toucanet Fun Facts

What do green toucanets look like?

As the name very well suggests, one of the most important features of the green toucanet is that these birds are green in color. The plumage often has different colorations and vibrancy depending on the subspecies, but the largely green plumage remains constant.

The species is also characterized by its large bill which is usually black and yellow in color. The bill can look intimidating but hardly poses a threat to humans.

The bird can also use its bill pretty easily when wanting to grab a bite of its favorite fruit! However, the bill doesn't prove useful if birds of the species want to dig or do any such intense jobs.

While the plumage is mainly green, the throat region tends to be white or a similar pale color. Some subspecies have a blue or red colored outline to their eyes. The blue color can sometimes be so dark that it appears black from a great distance.

How cute are they?

The large bill, green body and blue eye lining makes the green toucanet a very adorable bird species.

How do they communicate?

Like other birds of the Ramphastidae family, these birds communicate through a range of vocalizations.

How big is a green toucanet?

The green toucanet's size can be best classified as medium. The average length of all the subspecies tend to be in the range of 12-14 in (30-35 cm).

How fast can a green toucanet fly?

Unfortunately, there is not much research which can tell us exactly how fast these birds from southern Mexico and Central America can fly.

How much does a green toucanet weigh?

The average weight of birds of the genus Aulacorhynchus remains in the range of 4.2-8.1 oz (118-230 g).

What are male and female names of the species?

There are no special names for males and females of the green toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus) species. They are just referred to as a male green toucanet and a female green toucanet.

What would you call a baby green toucanet?

A baby green toucanet is referred to by the same name as other members of the family, which is, a nestling!

What do they eat?

The green toucanet's diet consists of insects, lizards and fruits. When in small flocks, these birds tend to love looking for fruits together, which is their favorite thing to eat.

Are they dangerous?

There are no reasons to believe that the green toucanet or any other related species, such as the blue throated toucanet, would be harmful to humans in any way. In places such as Costa Rica and northern Nicaragua, where birds of the genus Aulacorhynchus are commonly found, people confirm that they make great pets.

Would they make a good pet?

Any member of the genus Aulacorhynchus is sure to make a great addition to your family. The green toucanet's life expectancy is also quite high, which means that it will make for a great companion.

Did you know...

Female green toucanets lay three to four eggs.

The blue throated toucanet is a related species.

Green toucans have yellow and black colored bills.

Why are they called green toucanets?

They are called green toucanets because their plumage is dominated by a striking green color.

What is the smallest species of toucan?

The tawny tufted toucan is considered to be the smallest toucan species in the world.

*We've been unable to source an image of a green toucanet and have used an image of an emerald toucanet instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a green toucanet, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.