COMMON TOUCAN. lihamphastos 



The beak partakes of the brilliant colouring which decorates the plumage, but its 

 beautiful hues are sadly evanescent, often disappearing or changing so thoroughly as to 

 give no intimation of their former beauty. The prevailing colour seems to be yellow, and 

 the next in order is red, but there is hardly a hue that is not found on the beak of one or 

 other of the species. As examples of the colouring of the beaks, we will mention the 

 following species. In the Toco Toucan it is bright ruddy orange, with a large black oval 

 spot near the extremity ; in the Short-billed Toucan it is light green, edged and tipped with 

 red ; in the Tocard Toucan it is orange above and chocolate below ; in the Bed-billed 

 Toucan it is light scarlet and yellow ; in Cuvier's Toucan it is bright yellow and black, 

 with a lilac base ; in the Curl-crested Aragari it is orange, blue, chocolate, and white ; in 

 the Yellow-billed Toucan it is wholly of a creamy yellow, while in Azara's Aragari it is 

 cream-white with a broad blood-red stripe along the middle. Perhaps the most remarkable 

 bill of all the species is found in the Laminated Hill Toucan (Andfyena lamindtus), 



