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Tumblr Thread About Toucans That Prove They Are Weirder Than We Thought

By Rumeesha
July 6, 2021
4 minutes read

Think of all the ways that make a bird seem cool, and you would easily find a toucan topping the charts.

Be it gracing our favorite cereal boxes or entertaining kids in a TV show, a toucan has always been popular. With its brightly marked and giant beak, this bird certainly is a sweet sight for sore eyes. Toucans are not only playful and magnificent in their looks, but are also known as a symbol of intelligence. There are a number of things about this colorful and brilliant bird that is interesting enough to make it the coolest bird out there. Even though a toucan is rarely someone’s favorite bird, after reading this article, a lot of people will probably change their minds.

Let’s dive into some of the fascinating facts about toucans that will certainly leave you in awe!

What are toucans without their remarkable beaks?

A toucan’s beak makes for one-third of its body and is the most noticeable part. Gigantic? Hell yeah!!!!

A work of art, isn’t it?

Image credits: cryptid-quartz

The size of the beak is almost the size of the rest of its body.

The beak is literally half of the bird.

Take a look at this Toucan’s skeleton!

Image credits: prokopet

Trust me when I say that a sleeping toucan is the most adorable thing you’d ever see.

It tucks its head under the wing and curls its tail all the way up to the head. More like a cute little fluffball!

Image credits: worriedaboutmyfer

Apart from being insanely gorgeous, a toucan’s bill has another very important function of regulating the temperature of its body. Blood vessels in its beak, when dilated, release heat from the body and help cool it down. This makes it the most amazing heat regulatory system in animals.

Its beak is not as heavy as it looks.

A toucan’s beak is mainly composed of Keratin and is full of air pockets. It makes it interestingly lighter, despite its notable size.

Image credits: mygrapefruit

Here’s an X-ray of a toucan’s bill.

Image credits: timmy6169

A baby Toucan is also called a “chick.” They gradually grow in size. The whole process takes months, so they remain under the protection of parent birds while they are developing.

Super Chick!

Image credits: zoogeo

How adorable!

Image credits: Lowcrbnaman

The bill is not the only interesting body part of a toucan. Its tongue is also pretty weird.

It has a long feather-like tongue that is about 6 inches long.

Image credits: ThePocketGamer

Toucans are not-so-good fliers.

Their small wings usually help them in short flights but they are unable to cover long distances.

Image credits: Charles J Sharp

A toucan’s beak serves many purposes. It is intimidating for predators due to its large size and bright colors. It is as bodacious as it looks, and helps in attracting potential partners for mating. It can also attract predators and humans, which is quite dangerous.

Image credits: DR. VECTOR

Toco Toucan is the largest toucan in the family. They are widely known for their remarkable beaks and black body with white throats.

A rainbow-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize!

Image credits: Andy Morffew

Toucans are omnivorous.

They mainly eat fruits. Seeds, fruits, insects and small reptiles also make a great part of their diet. They also catch certain animals and fish to feed on the flesh.