by Sandra Baksh
Chestnut-mandibled toucan at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica
Toucans are among some of the most exquisite birds, especially with their prominent, colorful bills. For many of us, our first association with a toucan, was on a box of Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal, in the form of Toucan Sam (its mascot since 1963), who resembles a Toco Toucan! When you see these arboreal birds in the wild, admire their silhouettes as they fly by at dusk or hear those loud squawks throughout the rainforest, they are truly avian wonders, with unique beauty. Those conspicuous and colorful bills don’t have powerful crushing power but they function by rolling and slicing seeds and fruits, their primary diet. Many species of toucans are found in primary forests of the Neotropics. These are just three of them:
The Keel-billed Toucan is the National Bird of Belize
The Emerald toucanet is found throughout Central America.
