Toco Toucan

The Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco), also known as the Common Toucan (or just Toucan), is the largest and probably best-known species in the toucan family. It is the largest representative of the order Piciformes. The total length of the species is 55–65 centimeters (22–26 inches). Relative to the body sizes of all birds, its bill is the largest, providing 30–50% of its body surface area. One function of its bill is as a surface area for heat exchange. The bill has the ability to modify blood flow, and thus, to regulate heat distribution, allowing it to use its bill as a thermal radiator. In its capacity to remove body heat, the bill is comparable to that of elephant ears (Tattersall, 2009). This toucan has a particular taste for Hyacinth Macaw eggs, accounting for more than half of the latter’s losses. Yet Toco Toucans are also fond of the fruits of the mandwi tree (Sterculia apetala) and are responsible for more than four-fifths of this tree’s seed dispersal. More than 90% of Hyacinth Macaw pairs nest in mandwi.

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