In Mundomar you will be able to see a group of toco toucans, the largest and the best known species within the toucan family. Their natural habitat is South America.
They have a striking plumage: a black body, a white neck and a blue ring around their eyes. Their most striking feature is their enormous yellow beak with a black spot. It may seem very heavy, but it is extremely light as it is actually empty inside. They are usually 25 inches long, from which 8 inches belong to the beak. They can reach a weight of more than 1 pound.
They have four fingers in each leg, two forward and two backward, so they can land easily on the branches. There are no differences between males and females. Toucans’ life expectancy is about 10-15 years.
This species can be seen in eastern South American humid forests: in Guyana, in Bolivia, in Paraguay, in Brazil (Cerrado) and in northern Argentina (Misiones). Contrary to other species, these animals prefer open spaces as savannas and slightly wooded areas to dense rainforests.
Toucans eat mainly fruits, but they also eat insects, reptiles and other birds’ eggs.
Their breeding season varies according to the region they live in, but their reproduction cycle is annual. When they want to nest, they look for cavities in the trees and use the same ones year after year. They usually lay 2-4 eggs and the hatching takes place 16-20 days later.
Chicks are born featherless and blind. They grow up very slowly and they do not look like a toucan at the very beginning as their beak starts developing several months after they are born. Their eyes open three weeks later.
