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The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) recognises 43 species of toucans in five genera. [1] This list does not include hybrid species, extinct prehistoric species, or putative species not yet accepted by the IOU.
Toucans (/ ˈ t uː k æ n /, UK: /-k ə n /) are Neotropical birds in the family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the Toucan barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and over 40 different species. Toucans are arboreal and typically lay two to four white ...
The keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as sulfur-breasted toucan, keel toucan, or rainbow-billed toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. [3] The species is found in tropical jungles from southern Mexico to Ecuador.
The phylogenetic relationships among toucans have been the subject of ongoing debate and research; in the past, the eight toucan species were classified into different subfamilies based on their bill size and shape. However, recent molecular studies have suggested that toucans are more closely related to aracaris and toucanets than previously ...
Like other toucans, the black-throated toucanet is brightly marked and has a large bill. Adults are 33 to 38 cm (13 to 15 in) long and weigh about 120 to 210 g (4.2 to 7.4 oz). The sexes are alike in appearance although the female generally is smaller and shorter-billed.
The toucan beak has a network of superficial blood vessels that support the rhamphotheca, the horny sheath of the bill. [7] The toucan is able to dilate or enlarge the beak's blood vessels when temperatures rise above a thermal neutral zone to allow for blood to pass readily into the beak, allowing for heat exchange and cooling.
Selenidera is a bird genus containing six species of dichromatic toucanets in the toucan family Ramphastidae. They are found in lowland rainforest (below 1,500 metres or 4,900 feet) in tropical South America with one species in Central America.
The largest known birds whose nests are predated upon by the toco toucan are the hyacinth macaw and buff-necked ibis; the nestlings of the latter weigh 200–300 g (7.1–10.6 oz), compared to the toucan's body mass of around 540 g (19 oz), and are killed by breaking their necks with sideways movements of the toucan's beak. [33]