Ramphastos toco
Toco toucan

Ramphastos toco is found throughout eastern South America. This species frequents the canopy of the tropical rainforests from the Guianas through Brazil to northern Argentina (Perrins, 1996).

Ramphastos toco occupies the canopy layer of the tropical rainforest. It avoids dense rainforests,preferring more open habitats, such as woodlands, river forests, plantations, and palm grooves. It is commonly observed near human dwellings and it is abundant throughout its range.

Ramphastos toco is the largest member of its family, which comprises 37 species. It is 25 inches long. The appearance of R. toco is very colorful. Males and females are alike in color and there is no sexual dimorphism (Hanzak and Formanek, 1977). The most outstanding feature of this species of bird is its bill, which is enormous and brightly colored. The bill may be up to 71/2 inches long and is constructed of a honeycomb of bony material. The huge golden-yellow bill looks heavy, but it actually weighs little because it contains many air pockets. The tongue of R. toco is long, narrow, and singularly frayed on each side. This narrow tongue resembles a feather. Each eye is surrounded by an area of bare skin that is usually a brightly-colored orange. The plumage is black except for the white throat. The legs are strong and rather short with large scales. The claws are used for grasping branches. To enable it to grasp the branch, the toucan has two toes point forward and two backward. The tail tends to be long and nearly square. No geographic variation has been reported (Whitfield, 1998).

Ramphastos toco is a very noisy member of the jungle society. The bird lives in small communities equivalent to several families. It actively travels in small noisy flocks of half a dozen birds. For only short distances, Ramphastos toco flies gracefully. The bird beats its wings several times and glides. It is more agile in the trees, where it can hop from one branch to another. As with other brightly-colored forest birds, R. toco can hardly be seen, especially when it sits quietly, because its broken patterns harmonize with its surroundings. Its vibrant splashes of color are regarded as a flower or fruit to the eye that notices it. Although the bird's coloring has significant concealing value, R. toco often makes its presence known by its noisy chatter. It has a loud monotonous call that can be heard a half mile away in the jungle (Austin, 1983). This bird is a very playful animal and enjoys a variety of games. One of the favorites is a form of beak wrestling. During the nuptial display, both partners play a game which consists of tossing fruit to each other. After their ritual berry tossing, the birds mate and the female lays her eggs in a nest. Both parents actively take part in caring for the offspring (Skutch, 1996). Although the specific functions of the bill are poorly understood, it may play an important part in the courtship display. As a defensive weapon, the bill serves more as a frightening instrument than as a fighting tool. The bill provides little protection against predators. To escape predation, R. toco hides in a hollow tree. Another interesting behavior of R. toco is the way in which it sleeps. When the bird sleeps, it turns its head so that its long bill rests on its back and the tail is folded over its head. The bird becomes a ball of feathers. Five or six adults may sleep in a single hole, folding their tails over their backs to save space in crowded quarters (Austin, 1983).

Ramphastos toco is primarily frugivorous. Although the function of the bill is not completely understood, the massive bill is an efficient fruit-picking tool because it allows the bird to pluck fruit from the tip of branches that are too small to bear its weight. The bill is used to skin fruit, drill wood, and probe in the mud (http://www.blarg.net/~toucans/ToucanBird.html). The bird seizes food with the tip of its bill. After the bird has acquired food on its bill, it throws back its head to toss the morsel into its mouth. It drinks water in a similar fashion. The end of the bill is dipped into the water and the bird raises it up so the water flows down into its gullet. Ramphastos toco also feeds on large tree-living insects. Occasionally, it captures larger prey, such as young birds, lizards, and eggs. All of its feeding takes place during the day (Austin, 1983).

Ramphastos toco is bought and sold at high prices. The average pet store sells a single bird of this species for approximately three hundred dollars. Because of its beautiful colors and distinct features, R. toco attracts the attention of many consumers. For that reason, companies, such as Kellogg use this bird to advertise their products. Ramphastos toco also attracts many tourists. This species may also be important as a disperser of some species of tropical forest trees. (http://www.propageinteractif.com/rosieweb/Toucan2.html).

Although R. toco is not an endangered species, it is at some risk. This species of bird is captured from the forest and shipped to other countries to be sold in pet stores. Not only is biodiversity in the rainforest reduced, but many of the birds die in transit. These needless deaths are causing the population to decline slightly. The unnecessary deaths can be prevented if people around the world stopped buying them. Without the demand, there would be no need to remove these birds from the wild (http://www.propageinteractif.com/rosieweb/Toucan2.html).

Besides its economic importance, R. toco has symbolic significance in the tribal societies of Central and South America. The bird is re-created on tribal totems to signify the tribe's common ancestry. These tribes also believe that the medicine man can use this bird as an incarnation to fly to the spirit world. On the other hand, R. toco is associated with evil spirits. In the tribes where couvade, a South American system of magical rite, is practiced, the father of a new child must not eat toucan flesh because it might curse the new-born child (http://www.blarg.net/~toucans/ToucanBird.html).