Keel-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

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The Keel-Billed Toucan

The Keel-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), which is also known as the sulphur-breasted toucan or the rainbow-billed toucan, is the national bird of Belize. Currently listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the biggest threat to the toucan is clearing of the native rainforest where they make their home. The more colorful toucans, such as the Keel-Billed Toucan, are also in danger from being hunted to be sold as pets or decorative items.

Keel-Billed Toucans are found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The native home for the toucan is tropical rainforest, deciduous, and shrub forests. Toucans usually travel and live in groups consisting of approximately six to twelve adults. They roost and nest in hollows of trees, often using holes that woodpeckers have made. When roosting and sleeping, toucans will often all cram themselves into a very small space, so they sleep with their bills tucked down and their tails folded up over their backs. They rarely, if ever, touch ground, preferring to stay up in the high canopy of trees. They will go lower if food is spotted, though.

Toucans are probably one of the most recognizable birds. There are over 40 separate species of toucans, and each species has a specific color range and markings. The Keel-Billed Toucan is a large bird, reaching a total length of 19-20 inches (50 cm) and weighing less than a pound, approximately 400 grams. The beak is enormous, growing to be almost a third of their total length. It is surprisingly light for its size, and is basically hollow. A network of fibers inside the beak in a honeycomb pattern help to keep it light while still giving it extra strength. The only difference between the male and the female is the size - females are slightly smaller but are still brightly colored, unlike many birds where the male has bright plumage to try and attract interest of the female. Generally, the bodies of Keel-Billed Toucans are black, with bright yellow, white, and green on their chests and cheeks. The bill is yellowish-green with a run of orange down the sides, and it is tipped in red. The skin around the eyes is without feathers, and the skin is bright blue, as is the skin on the legs and feet.

Interesting Fact: No one knows what the toucan’s large bill is used for. It is speculated that it is used to reach fruit on branches that are too small to support the entire bird, and it may be used in courtship. Toucans will also fight amongst themselves, using their beaks as a weapon.

Keel-Billed Toucans are typically fruit eaters. They will often eat their fruit whole, grasping it with their large bills and then tipping the head back and allowing the fruit to slide down their throat. This actually serves a good purpose as the seeds remain relatively intact, and they are then spread to other areas of the forest where new plants will grow. They will also eat eggs of other birds, insects, and lizards.

Both male and female Keel-Billed Toucans reach sexual maturity at about two years of age. Mating and reproduction seems to take place all year as a female will often lay two to three separate clutches of eggs each year. Eggs are laid in a nest made in a tree hollow or woodpecker hole, which is widened if necessary and sparsely lined with leaves, and anywhere from one to four eggs can be produced. Both the male and female birds will care for the eggs, maintaining the nest and incubating them. After about 17-19 days, the eggs will hatch, and, again, both the male and female provide food for the baby toucans. They will then stay in the nest for eight to nine weeks, not leaving until their beaks are fully developed.

Further Information on the Keel-Billed Toucan:

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Bibliography:
Toucan. Encarta Encyclopedia, © 2000.
Ramphastos sulfuratus. Accessed on 08/24/04 at http://www.vivanatura.org/Ramphastos%20sulfuratus.html.
Keel-Billed Toucan. Accessed on 08/24/04 at http://www.saczoo.com/1_about/_animals/fact_sheets/keel_billed_toucan2.pdf.
ADW: Ramphastos sulfuratus: Information. Accessed on 08/24/04 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ramphastos_sulfuratus.html.