Hello All We sat next to this guy while eating lunch at Sea world. He faciated me and seemed quite ennammered with my rhinestone jewlrey! He bounced around from branch to branch and was hard to shoot cause he didnt want to remain still!! Here is a little info about this delightful and colorful big beaked bird...( fruitloops anyone?? LOL!!) The Toco is the largest of the toucan family with a large lightweight beak and a body with a length of 25 inches. They are usually found in the rain forests. Toco Toucans inhabit Central and South America and are found in woodlands and forests. They live in the omnivore level of the tropical rain forests. The toco toucan is a heavy bodied bird with a bold color pattern of black, red and white plumage with yellow, orange, red and black on the beak. It has short, stout legs and strong feet with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward on each foot. This toe arrangement is referred to as zygodactylus. The most striking feature of this bird is its brightly colored bill, often half as long as the bird itself. The edges of the bill are serrated. Nostrils are located at the base of the bill. The toucan's tongue is narrow, long, and fringed with bristles. They rattle the tongue inside the beak, making a very wooden sound. This "feather tongue" and its feet are features the toucan holds in common with the woodpecker. Some scientists argue that the large bill is is used for defense and for food gathering at the end of branches, while other scientists say that the toucan's large bill has absolutely no function. Having no function makes no sense, it would not have developed without some selective pressure. It certainly is a good "neon sign" for recognizing members of your own species in the forest canopy. Toco toucans travel in small, noisy flocks of about six birds. They are considered very intelligent and are quite easily tamed. A toucan will nest in an existing hole in a tree. They seldom breed in captivity. Both parents will incubate 2-4 white eggs for 16-18 days, and care for the young for 6 weeks. They feed the young regurgitated food.Its large beak is full of "a combination of bright colors like blue, yellow, red, and orange" . However, the body may be mostly black with one or two other colors on it like red and orange. These bright colors on the beak and body may be use to attract the toucan's mates. The large beak also has a narrow tongue use for eating small fruits and insects off trees; consequently, because of its large beak and body form, the Toco toucan is a poor flier and spends most of its time in hollow trees. While spending most of their time in hollow trees, the Toco toucans live in small flocks within which they mate. The Tocos may, "mate once a year like most toucans, and build a their nest in hollow trees" . In the nest the female lays two to four white eggs. After the eggs hatch the parents will care for the young for about 8 weeks. One special adaptation that toucans have in the wild is deafening each other while they are in small flocks. For instance, when they see a bird of prey, "they gather about it in a jeering band" . Therefore, by doing this they scare off the predator. Another special adaptation that toucans have in the wild is when they sleep in the wild because they have adapted themselves for nesting in holes. This special adaptation is done with the toucan turning its head and placing its long beaks on its backs, "with its hook pushed down between the wings and the body" . They also fold their tails on their backs as well when sleeping in nest in holes. Current extensive logging operations may cause problems in the future because they nest in old rotten trees. Tahnks for looking and taking the time have a wonderful day or night there! big hugs to all ♥ ~Kimmers!