The toco toucan’s large, bright bill has several different uses including reaching and peeling faraway fruit or intimidating other birds. The bill appears heavy, but it is nearly hollow. With blood vessels close to the surface, the bill is also an instrument of thermoregulation. This adaptation cools their bodies off quickly due to the extensive surface area where heat can radiate off from the bill.
- Diet:
- Toco toucans eat tropical fruit, like oranges, figs and guava, flowers, as well as insects, small vertebrates, and eggs.
- Habitat:
- Semi-open areas and at the tropical forest’s edge in South America.