Keel-billed Toucans
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The Keel-Billed Toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus, is a colorful South American bird with a large bill. This social bird lives in small flocks in lowland rainforests, but as it is a poor flyer, the toucan moves mostly by hopping around trees. Toucans roost in holes in trees, and they have a croaking call that sounds like "RRRRK".
Description
Keel-billed toucans average around 20 inches in length. Their large and colorful bills averages around 5-6 inches, but can be up to one third of its length. While the bill seems large and cumbersome, it is in fact hollow and made of keratin, a very light protein.
The plumage of the Keel-billed toucan is mainly black with a yellow neck and chest. They have blue feet and red feathers at the end of their tails. Their bills, the most colorful part of it, are mainly green with a red tip and orange on the sides.
Habitat
Keel billed toucans can be found from Southern Mexico to around Venezuela and Colombia. They roost in the canopies of tropical, subtropical, and lowland rainforests. They make their homes in holes in trees, often living with several other toucans. This can be a very cramped living space, so they have learned how to tuck their tails and beaks under them to conserve space while sleeping.
Diet
The diet of Keel-billed toucans consists mostly of a wide range of fruit, but may also include bird eggs, insects, lizards, tree frogs. Their bill, surprisingly dexterous, allows them to eat a large variety of fruit that might not otherwise be reached. When eating the fruit, Keel-billed toucans will use their bill to pick the fruit, and then toss their heads back and swallow the fruit whole.
Behavior
Like many toucans, Keel-billed toucans are very social, very playful birds. They travel in flocks of approximately six to twelve other birds, and have a family structure within their group. They will often be seen "dueling" with each other with their bills, and throwing fruit into each other's mouths. As mentioned before, the Keel-billed toucans live together in these groups, often sharing cramped living quarters of holes in trees. They are rarely seen alone.
Reproduction
The female Keel-billed toucan will usually lay one to four white eggs in a grouping called a clutch. The male and female, having formed a strong bond, take turns sitting on the eggs, which hatch in approximately 15-20 days after being laid. After hatching, the male and female again take turns feeding the chicks. The chicks will stay in their nest for approximately eight to nine weeks as their bills develop fully and they become ready to fly.
Zookeeping and domesticizing
Keel-billed Toucans require spacious cages to hop back and forth in because of their active nature, and require toys in their cage to prevent boredom. Their high fruit diet and sensitivity to hemochromatosis (iron storage disease) make them difficult for the novice keeper to maintain. They also fling their fruit, which can become quite messy.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Related Web Resources: Keel-billed Toucan ... Emeraldforestbirds.com ... Mangoverde.com ... whozoo.org ... Nfss.org
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