Keel-Billed+Toucan

=Keel-Billed Toucan =

**Basic Statistics:** //Scientific Name: Ramphastos sulfuratus// __**Phylogenetic Organization**__ //__**What The Species Look Like**__//  Ecology **
 * < //**Genus**// ||= __Ramphastos__ ||
 * < //**Family**// ||= __Ramphastidae __ ||
 * < //**Order**// ||= __Piciformes __ ||
 * < //**Class**// ||= __Aves__ ||
 * < //**Phylum**// ||= __Chordata__ ||
 * < //**Kingdom**// ||= __Anamilia__ ||

Physiology **
 * Species interactions with other organisms:** Keel Billed Toucans prefer bright tropical fruits or fruits that are easy to find. They eat soft tropical fruit like papya, grapes, apples, melons, bananas, frozen blue berries, etc. They use their bills to rip off chunks of fruit. They also eat spiders, lizards, frogs, snakes, bird eggs, tree frogs, and insects. The predators of a keel-billed toucan are prey of birds such as eagles, hawks, and other species of birds. Also, weasels and humans can be a threat to the toucan. Felines such as jaguars and margays are also known to eat the colorful toucan. They are very playful and can be considered to be very socially always in a flock of six to thirty individuals in the tropical rainforests. They are considered to be **frugivores** ( fruit eaters), but they are specialized as **omnivores,** because they tend to eat both fruits and animals. They can be both a **consume**r and **predator**. They are considered a consumer because they feed on plants, animals, and fruits. They are considered to be predators to insects and other animals that they eat.
 * Enviroment:** You can find the Keel Billed Toucan between Southern Mexico, Northern Colombia, Northwestern Venezuela, and along the Carribean side of Costa Rica. They create their bird nests in the Amazon rain forests filled with a lush full of tall, broad-leaved evergreen trees where they make their homes in. They create their nests in between cavaties of the trees that have hollowed out from former decay. A small group of toucans share their nests with eaach other which causes the nest to get over crowded. To overcome the problem, they tuck their tails and beks under their bodies to make room while sleeping at night. Inside their bird holes a bunch of pits from their fruit cover the inside at the bottom of their nests. They are resident breeders and stay in the rain forest close to their homes and other toucans.


 * Anatomical Structure:** The Keel Billed Toucan is approximately 16-22 inches with a weight of about 12-14 ounces. Males are usually larger than the females. They have black bodies with a yellow bib and blue feet. The colors under and on top of their tail are red and white. The skin around the eyes are green with blue eyes. The Keel Billed Toucan's beak is about 50 cm (20 in.) in length which is up to a third of their body. They have very hallow bills. The colors on the beak are usually blue, brown, green, red, orange, white, and yellow. Keel Billed Toucans can be one of the most beautiful birds to look at.
 * Reproduction:** Keel Billed Toucans sexually mature by the age of two. After mating, female toucans lay one to four eggs in a clutch (set of eggs laid in one period of time). The eggs soon hatch within fifteen to twenty days after being laid. Both parents have a strong bond between each other. Both parents take turns to finding food to feed their chicks. They also rotate time to watch over their chicks for about nine weeks or until their bills are fully developed and they are able to fly. Toucans are very family based and make sure their chicks are fully taken care of.

** What You Didn't Know **
1. Toucans use their beaks as a deadly weapon against those who try and take their fruit or against predators. 2. Toucans are considered threatened due to habitat loss. 3. This specie is being hunted for meat and feathers. 4. Keel Billed Toucans are related to the woodpecker. 5. Toucan Sam is the mascot of the Kellogg's Froot Loop cereal, which originated from the keel billed toucan. 6. Toucan Sam's catchphrase is "Follow your nose". 7. They fight eachother using their bills or to throw fruit inside each other's mouth. 8. The scientific name of the toucan means "large yellow beak". 9. They spread fruit seeds around the ground allowing more fruit trees to grow. 10. Toucans croak or sometimes chirp like a cricket or frog.

** Enjoy The Videos Of The Beautiful Bird.... **
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** Citations & Links **
"Www.a-z-animals.com." Web. May-June 2010. //.// "Www.enchantedlearing.com." Web. May-June 2010. //.// "Www.mnzoo.com." Web. Apr.-May 2010. //.// "Www.seaworld.org." Web. Apr.-May 2010. //.//