Research & Resources

Species Profiles

Keel-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

Photo by Gerry Ellis /
www.gerryellis.com

Keel-billed toucans are the "Fruit Loops" birds with the rainbow-hued bills, which they use to pluck fruit, insects, and small lizards off branches. They toss these morsels into the air and down their throats with a quick, upward flip of the head. Their plumage is mostly black, with a bright yellow bib edged in red, a yellow-green face, and a patch of red on their lower tail coverts. Keel-billed toucans, which are about 20 inches long, are found from eastern Mexico to northern South America. They travel in small flocks of about six and nest in deep tree hollows or cavities -- another reason why standing, decaying trees are important to forest ecology.

Further Reading:

Stiles and Skutch, A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica.
Wolfe and Prance, Rainforests of the World.
From The Encyclopedia of Rainforests, a Rainforest Alliance book by Diane Jukofsky; 2002 Oryx Books, Phoenix.

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