Our Panama Adventure - Toucans

Now that I've shared the monkeys we saw, let's consider one of my favorite birds, the TOUCAN. Actually, we saw three types of toucans. The first photo is a KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN, the second is a BLUE-THROATED TOUCANET, and the third is a COLLARED ARACARI.

In my opinion, toucans are the cartoon characters of the bird world. My question is: What's up with that huge, beautiful bill (beak)? Their bill can be four times the size of their head, and as long as their body.

Seriously, isn't that kind of extreme?

Well, as you can probably imagine, a toucan's bill is, by necessity, amazingly lightweight. They are also very strong—have you ever seen a toucan with a broken beak? Neither have I.

As it turns out, these beaks serve a variety of functions. They help the bird reach fruits at the ends of narrow branches and in crevices. They can be used as a weapon against predators and against each other. The serrated edges can be used like a saw for tearing up food. They can be used for cracking open seeds. The bright colors are almost certainly used for attracting mates, and for identifying members of their own species.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing functions of a toucan's bill is thermoregulation. Tropical forests are hot, and creatures living there have evolved elaborate ways to keep their bodies cool. I've never touched a live toucan's bill, but biologists say the bills are very warm to the touch. Why? Because the bills have an elaborate system of blood vessels near the surface. Scientists have actually tested this using infrared sensors. They looked at the amount of heat given off by the toucan's beak when it is resting. Then they chased the toucan around in its cage for ten minutes (to stimulate exertion), and measured the heat given off by the beak again. After the exertion, the beak was much warmer. Which means the bird was releasing more heat to keep its body at the optimal temperature.

Who says something can't be pretty and functional at the same time?

Photo credits:
Toucans - Stan C. Smith