Tropical Toucans of Costa Rica Part 2

Laughing Toucan

The combination... of a shorter than Parrot, lifespan,
(about 20 - 25 years), no more commercial importation, and
lack of people breeding them, has caused hand - raised,
baby Toucans, to be extremely hard to find. There are only
a handful of breeders... in the US.

Toucans require a diet based on fruit. Period. Toucans
do not drink much water, preferring to use it to bathe in,
and they can become dehydrated, and build up too much
iron... in their system, if not fed enough fruit.

Toucans Eat Healthy, Fruit Diets...

Toucan eating exotic fruit seed... and Toucan eating Papaya!

Toucan Eating Papaya!

Papaya is the main ingredient, along with grapes, apple, melons, bananas, frozen blue berries, and whatever... other
"non- citrus" fruit is available.

All fruits are chopped finely, and fed daily. Toucans are
highly prone to hemo-chromotosis, or "iron storage" disease,
so a low iron diet is a must. A source of protein must be offered.

Toco Toucan

3) The most popular of the Toucans... is the Toco
Toucan: (Ramphastos Toco).   It has a black body, white
bib and bright blue eye ring.   It's bill, is generally golden
orange with a large black spot at the end.   The Toco
measures about 22 inches long and has a 10-inch-long
bill.

Toco Toucan

Red Bill Toucan

4) The Red Bill Toucan: (R. Tucanus), approximately 20 inches long, is mostly black with a white bib, ending in a
rim of red around the bib. The bill is black with dark red,
in the middle of each mandible.

Red Bill Toucan

Keel Bill Toucan

5) The Keel Bill Toucan: (R. Sulfuratus), approximately 16 inches long, has a black body, yellow bib and red vent. The
bill is bright yellow, pastel green and red at the tip. This is
my favorite Toucan!

Channel Bill Toucan

6) The Channel Bill Toucan: (R. Vitellinus), has a black
body with a white and yellow bib. The bill is solid black...
except for a blue band close to the face. The channel
bill is approximately 18 inches long.

Channel Bill Toucan

Toucans belong to the soft bill family, despite the
fact that their bills are definitely not soft. Their bills
are also not as heavy as they look; they are made
from a porous, honeycomb type of material and are
very sensitive.

Even though this group of birds are from the tropics,
they need shade... especially if temperatures go above
90 degrees Fahrenheit. In that case, it is even more
important that these birds receive showers or have a
bathing dish.

If   you keep a single toucan in a cage, a large Macaw
cage... of at least   4 feet   long is appropriate.    If   you
keep the birds in an aviary, consider one 7 by 10 by
7 feet.   Keep in mind, that   these are extremely active
birds.... that need plenty of room and perches to jump
and run.

Summers Birds
Hand Raised Baby Tropical Toucans! So Cute! Must See!
A Special Thanks to Summers Birds, for allowing me to use some
of his photos, of his hand fed baby Toucans.

Baby Toucans!
Mating & Baby Toucans!

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