Brazil
Toco Toucan
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Meet the toco toucan! With its huge orange beak and bold black-and-white feathers, this cheerful bird is one of the most recognizable animals living in the trees of the Amazon rainforest.
Why is it special?
Its giant orange beak can be nearly a third as long as its whole body, making it the largest toucan species.
Its bright colors and huge beak make it one of the most famous and easy-to-recognize birds in South America.
How does it live?
Toco toucans live in the treetops of rainforests and open woodlands across South America, hopping between branches instead of flying long distances.
They eat mostly fruit, using their long beak to reach and pluck food that other birds can't get to.
Amazing facts
Even though it looks heavy, a toucan's beak is actually very light because it's made of a spongy material inside a thin outer layer.
Toucans use their big beak to help cool down, releasing body heat through it on hot days.
Quick facts
- Even though it looks heavy, a toucan's beak is actually very light because it's made of a spongy material inside a thin outer layer.
- Toucans use their big beak to help cool down, releasing body heat through it on hot days.
- They often toss fruit into the air and catch it in their beak before swallowing it whole.
- Toucans nest in old tree holes, often ones first made by woodpeckers.