© Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Ramphastos tucanus, White-throated Toucan IDnature guides Bird families Bird species Birds San Luis Groups Vertebrata Links We parsed the following live from the Web into this page. Such content is managed by its original site and not cached on Discover Life. Please send feedback and corrections directly to the source. See original regarding copyrights and terms of use. Monterey Bay 80x5 - 240x3 - 240x4 - 320x1 - 320x2 - 320x3 - 640x1 - 640x2 Set display option above. Click on images to enlarge. © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Ramphastos swainsonii, Yellow-throated Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Ramphastos sulfuratus, Keel-billed Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Ramphastos toco, Toco Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Eubucco bourcierii, Red-headed Barbet © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Pteroglossus beauharnaesii, Curl-crested Aracari © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 10 Pteroglossus castanotis, Chesnut-eared Aracari © Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2014 · 9 Semnornis ramphastinus, Toucan Barbet © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos tucanus, White-throated Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos tucanus, Red-Billed Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos swainsonii, Yellow-throated Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos swainsonii, Yellow-throated Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos swainsonii, Yellow-throated Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos swainsonii, Yellow-throated Toucan © Larry Thompson, 2007-2015 · 9 Ramphastos swainsonii, Yellow-throated Toucan © Copyright Tom Stephenson, 2006-2011 · 0 Eubucco versicolor see all kinds   •  285 thumbnails  •  slide show Kinds Andigena Aulacorhynchus Baillonius Capito Eubucco Pteroglossus Ramphastos Selenidera Semnornis Supported by National Biological Information Infrastructure National Science Foundation go to Discover Life's Facebook group Following modified from Monterey Bay    Top | See original   BIRD FAMILIES OF THE WORLD     a web page by Don Roberson TOUCANS Ramphastidae 35 species in the Neotropics DR personal total: 26 species 74%), 6 photo'd Nothing says "Neotropics" like Toucans. Yes, the New World tropics have impressive macaws but there are gaudy parrots elsewhere in the world; yes, there are glamorous hummingbirds, but hummers are also found in temperate North America forest; yes, there are other groups endemic to the Neotropics (antbirds, ovenbirds, tapaculos, gnateaters), but none are universally recognized by the man (or woman) on the street. Everyone knows — and everyone loves — toucans. And toucans exist only in the New World tropics. Maybe the best-known toucan is Toco Toucan (left), from Fruit Loops cereal to the "Enchanted Tiki Room" at Disneyland. It is the "classic" toucan. And if you love one of them, imagine an entire tree-full ! (below). It is the big Ramphastos toucans, like Keel-billed Toucan (right, in a classic shot by Cagan Sekercioglu), that mold the public image of this family. They have huge colorful bills. Short & Horne (2001) even use the word "Rainbow-billed Toucan" for this taxa. Keel-billed Toucan ranges widely in the lowlands from south Mexico to northern South America. Toco Toucan is also in this genus, and has a wide range in South American lowlands, such as the Brazilian Pantanal, where one can spot the Toco sitting in the canopy of a lone tree from some distance away. It is the only species of toucan adapted to non-forested habitats. The toucan's huge bill is a very lightweight keratin, and is often used for plucking and swallowing fruit. Most toucans are primarily fruit eaters (Remsen et al. 1993), although though there are exceptions. Toco Toucan indulges in much more than fruit. We once watched it grab a nestling from an oropendula nest and fly off to consume it. Remsen et al. (1993) found that the stomach contents of this species was quite variable, with 44% "fruit-only" and another 44% with mixed arthropods and fruit. Molecular evidence has proven that New World barbets, toucans, and the toucan-barbets are more closely related to each other than they are to Old World barbets (Burton 1984, Prum 1988, Sibley and Ahlquist 1990, Lanyon & Hall 1994, Barker & Lanyon 2000, Johansson et al. 2001, Johansson & Ericson 2003, Moyle 2004). Given the evidence that toucans are actually 'big-billed New World barbets' when compared to barbets in the Old World, the modern approach, now adopted by the most authorities, is to treat the two groups of Old Word barbets as two separate families, Asian Barbets [Megalaimidae] and African Barbets [Lybiidae], and separate the three New World groups into separate families as well: New World Barbets [Capitonidae], Toucan-Barbets [Semnornithidae] and Toucans [Ramphastidae]. Although Ramphastos toucans are impressive, I prefer some of the smaller araçaris and toucanets. One of my absolute favorites is Curl-crested Araçari Updated: 2017-07-14 16:52:38 gmt Discover Life | Top © Designed by The Polistes Corporation