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Giant toucan

We congratulate the Theobald family on sponsoring this wonderful bird and thank them for their support!

  • Name
    Giant toucan
  • Scientific Name
    Ramphastos toco
  • Sponsor
    Theobald family

Giant toucan

We would like to congratulate the Theobald family on sponsoring this fantastic bird and thank them for their support!

The giant toucan(Ramphastos toco) is, as its name suggests, the largest toucan in the world with a body length of up to 61 cm. Like all other members of the toucan family (Ramphastidae), it is only found in the New World, in the northern half of South America.

The most striking external feature of the giant toucan is its extremely large, yellow-orange to red-coloured beak. It is the largest beak in the bird kingdom compared to its body size. The plumage is a glossy black colour overall. Only the throat, the sides of the neck and the upper tail coverts are white to pale yellow in colour. The under-tail coverts, on the other hand, are coloured red. The giant toucan also has a bare, bright orange area around the eyes, as well as a thin blue ring directly around the eyeball.

The giant toucan is the only member of the toucan family that does not live mainly in the rainforest. Instead, it lives mainly on forest edges, open forests, savannah landscapes, plantations and gardens at an altitude of up to 1750 metres above sea level. There it feeds mainly on fruit, including various types of figs and oranges. However, they also like to eat animals such as insects, young birds and birds' eggs. Giant toucans usually search for food in small groups in the canopy.

The breeding season of the giant toucan is between September and February in most of its range, but can extend to June in some areas. The nest is either a tree hollow, a cave in a riverbed or an old termite burrow. The clutch usually consists of 2 to 4 eggs and is incubated by both parents equally for around 18 days. The young are initially fed exclusively with insects. Only gradually are fruits added. After around 50 days, the young fledge and leave the nest.

As the giant toucan has an extremely large distribution area and is found in many protected areas, its population is currently not endangered. It is also less affected by the increasing destruction of forests because it does not live in the dense rainforest anyway. The greatest threat to it is the hunting of young animals for the pet trade, which is why the population should continue to be monitored.

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