Fun Toco Toucan Facts For Kids

The toco toucan, a giant bird of the toucan family, is the most commonly sighted bird in open and semi-open habitats of eastern and central South America. It is famous for its large bill, which is prominent among the rest of the species of toucans. Its bill occupies one-third of the bird's total body length and is mainly a honeycomb of keratin, supported by thin bones.

The scientific name of this bird is Ramphastos toco. They nest in hollows created and abandoned by woodpeckers. This toco toucan's beak enhances the bird's beauty, but it is not efficient at warning or fighting against predators. Studies indicate that the toco bird's bill is efficient in regulating body heat due to its ability to modify blood flow. Though the population is declining due to threats like deforestation and pet trading, their ability to survive in open habitats is believed to preserve their population.

If the above article interests you, read on for interesting facts about the toco toucan. You may like our articles on birds of paradise and bee-eater facts.

What type of animal is a Toco Toucan?

The toco toucan is one of the world's loudest bird species. It is the toucan family's largest and most visible species. It's sometimes called the common toucan or the giant toucan. It can be seen in the central and eastern parts of South America.

What class of animal does a Toco Toucan belong to?

This Ramphastidae family species belongs to the Aves class.

How many Toco Toucans are there in the world?

Though the exact number is unknown, the total number of this Ramphastos toco is believed to exceed more than 10,000 matured individuals, accounting for its wide range and pretty fair presence in its natural habitats within its geographic range. They are endemic to countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, and Peru, and studies show a correlation between the availability of a wide range of fruits in these countries, which are a prime source of their diet, and the distribution of the toco toucan population.

Where does a Toco Toucan live? 

This bird of the toucan species lives in the woods, savanna, tropical rainforest, and scrub forests. It is mainly found in Central America and South America.

What is a Toco Toucan's habitat? 

Unlike other toucans, the Ramphostos toco is not essentially a forest species. It can establish itself in semi-open habitats like woodlands, savanna, an open domain like scattered trees, wooden gardens, plantations, and forest outlines.

Who do Toco Toucans live with?

Toco toucans are social birds. They live and move in pairs or small flocks.

How long does a Toco Toucan live?

The average life span of the toco toucan is 20 years, and 26 years is the maximum lifespan registered.

How do they reproduce?

The toco toucan chooses the hollows of trees (mostly created and left behind by woodpeckers) for nesting. Spring is the breeding season of this species of toucan. After mating, the female bird lays two to four eggs in the nest, placed high in the tree. Both the parent birds breed the eggs for 17-18 days, and once the eggs hatch, they continue to take care of the hatchlings for the next six to eight weeks. The baby toco is not born with a huge bill. The size of the bill increases as they grow in size and age.

What is their conservation status?

Due to the ability to establish themselves in open habitats within their geographical range, the toco toucans are common for sighting; hence their status is marked as Least Concern.

What do Toco Toucans look like?

The toco toucans look like any other toucan species except for the difference in their length and huge beak. The tongue of this bird is almost as long as its beak. Their body is covered with layers of feathers, and the tail of the bird has white upper tail coverts and red under tail coverts.

How cute are they?

The toco toucan sighting is a treat to the eye. The blackbird has its whole body covered with black and dark bluish feathers, blue and orange layered eyes, a white throat, and predominantly a huge bill with a mix of orange, red, yellow colors, and black at the base. These birds are very cute.

How do they communicate?

The toucan Ramphastos toco does have a conversation. Their talk is loudly audible in the form of a deep-course croaking sound like a frog or a rattling sound repetitively. Apart from expressing themselves through these loud sounds, they also cluck with their large bills to make sharp sounds.

How big is a Toco Toucan? 

These birds are the largest birds of the toucan species, and this oversized toco can be six times heavier and twice as long as normal ones.

How fast can a Toco Toucan fly?

Despite their wings, toucans cannot fly. They hop between trees due to their small size, and when flying over shorter distances, they flap their wings aggressively and glide.

How much does a Toco Toucan weigh?

In this species of toucans, males are heavier than females. The weight of a female bird 1.3 lb (576 g) and the average weight of a male toucan is 1.6 lb ( 723 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and female birds are called male toco toucan and female toco toucan.

What would you call a baby Toco Toucan?

The baby toco toucan is called a juvenile.

What do they eat? 

Their diet mainly consists of various fruits that they pluck and peel with their large bill. They also feed on frogs, small birds, small reptiles, and insects. They are highly sensitive to iron-rich foods.

Are they dangerous?

The toco toucans, in general, are friendly in nature and do not harm humans.

Would they make a good pet?

The toco toucans can make excellent pets, as they are cute, fun-loving, and intelligent birds and love to play and talk with their owners.

Did you know...

Some toco toucan interesting facts for kids are given here!

The large bill of the toco toucan is a network of superficial blood vessels. They practise placing their bills under the wings to reduce heat loss during sleep. The toco toucans have a unique way of swallowing food. Instead of using their tongue, they use their beak and project the food by leaning their heads back at an angle of 180 degrees. Thus, the food particles directly reach their pharynx.

The toco toucans are interested in having conversations with their pet owners. They like to sit on their shoulders and interact with humans in a friendly manner.

Despite its large bill and camouflage nature, the toco toucan bird cannot sometimes escape from its predators, like jaguars, eagles, and coatis of the genera Nasua and Nasuella.

How has the Toco Toucan adapted to its environment?

The rainforest is an excellent toco toucan habitat as, unlike other birds, these toucans can camouflage with their bright colors and hide among plants. They live in holes inside the trees, so they can tuck themselves away in these holes. As they are omnivores, their diet includes a variety of fruits. Hence, they can survive on these forest trees.

Do people keep Toco Toucans as pets?

As the toco toucan is cute and cuddly, these birds can be retained as pets. The toco toucan's price can be as much as $10,000. However, pet trading is one of the major causes of the decline of their population.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds, including umbrellabird, or blue-and-yellow macaw.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our baby toucan coloring pages.