Toco Toucan
This unusual and beautiful bird is called the Greater Toucan or Toco.
Toucans are large and colourful birds that live in southern countries like Brazil and Argentina. They are very beautiful! They look a little like parrots, but you can easily tell them apart by their big, brightly coloured beaks. The body of a toucan is black like the night sky, while the breast and the top of the tail are white like clouds. And the underside of their tail is red like a brightly coloured apple. This bird weighs almost like a whole kilo of sugar, and they have long and huge beaks that can be almost as long as their body. Did you know that these beaks, due to their size, help toucans cool down faster when it is very hot outside?
Life and children of toucans
When it's time to start a family, toucans move to dense moist forests where they choose tall trees for their home. They are very cautious and hide if they see a human. Toucans are fast flyers and they are also great at jumping from branch to branch!
When it is time to start a family, toucans pair up. They can't make hollows in trees with their beaks, but they always choose ready-made large hollows in trees for their nests. Toucans are very fond of their home, and some of them live in the same nest for many years. When it is time to prepare the nest, the mum toucan and dad toucan clean the nest of debris. Toucans usually have 2 large white eggs in the nest, from which little toucans emerge 20 days later. They stay in their cosy hollow for about two months.
Moulting period and habitat
From spring to mid-summer, toucans have a moulting period. This is when the birds change their old feathers for new ones. Some toucans moult earlier, while others moult later. When the moult is over, toucans move from dense thickets, which become too wet and cold after the rains, to dry forests in the mountains. There the toucans gather in large flocks, eat a lot and gain weight quickly. This makes them less agile and difficult to fly, so they jump carefully from branch to branch.
What toucans eat
Toucans love to eat large fruits, especially bananas. But they also eat insects, sometimes preying on small birds and even lizards. And when toucans drink water, they tilt their heads back in a funny way.
That's what they are - amazing and interesting birds toucans!
