Toucan Facts
When most people think of Toucan facts, it is in reference to a certain cereal. In fact, there is much more to learn about this interesting bird.
Toucan Facts
The Toucans have yellow, blue, red, black or orange plumage, often in vivid patterns. It is a colorful, active forest bird. The toco toucan is the largest member of its family. The family comprises 37 species. Some are found as far north as Mexico, yet toucans are mostly inhabitants of South America.
Of the various Toucan facts, here is an odd one. Citizens of Central and South America associate the Toucans with evil spirits. They think the birds can be the incarnation of demons. Where couvades is practiced (a system of magical rite), the father of a new child must not eat toucan flesh as it is believed to bewitch the new-born child. Yet the Toucan can also be a tribal totem. So the medicine men use it as an incarnation to fly to the spirit world.
Toucans are very noisy members of the jungle population. They live in small communities and loudly make noises that sound like the croaks of frogs. They are related to the woodpeckers and nest in tree holes. When they mate, They lay two to four eggs, which are incubated by both parents.
As you probably know, the Toucan has an enormous beak for its body size. Of all the Toucan facts, this one has baffled scientist the most. The beak is clearly not used as a weapon. It is also offers no particular advantage when it comes to gathering food since Toucans are herbivores that eat berries, seeds and such. Some ornithologists consider the Toucan’s bill a distinguishing feature, a visual threat to potential competitors. Since the bill of both the male and the female is exactly the same, the hypothesis is not that convincing. The mystery of the toucan's bill remains unsolved so far.
As these Toucan facts reveal, the bird of the cereal box is a bit different than the one in real life. Imagine that!
