TOUCANS 
The most prominent feature of this bright-colored bird is its beak, which 
in the adult is all of eight inches long, or one third of the bird’s en¬ 
tire length. At its base it is three inches wide. Though this protuberance 
looks clumsy and immensely heavy, in reality its walls are made of a light 
honeycombed substance so thin that it does not interfere with the toucan’s 
activities. A series of notches at the sides of the beak lend it a saw-toothed 
appearance. 
The toucan lives chiefly on fruits and seeds, and it is said to wreak 
great havoc on the Argentine orange groves. It also eats small birds and 
their young, and in captivity exhibits great enthusiasm for mice, reptiles 
and other animal nourishment, which it savagely tears to pieces. In the 
breeding season it eats caterpillars and other insects. In eating such small 
morsels, the toucan throws its head back and swallows them at one gulp. 
Sometimes it regurgitates food to be chewed again. 
The flight of the toucan is easy and graceful. The bird’s tail bones 
seem to be attached to a ball-and-socket joint, permitting great freedom of 
movement and sudden changes of direction. Sometimes flying toucans flap 
their wings noisily. 
Toucans are gregarious; in the morning and evening they gather in 
small flocks to bathe and feed, while during the heat of the day, they 
sit motionless in tall trees. When they feed in company, they post a sen¬ 
tinel, whose harsh warning screams can be heard a mile away. These birds 
grow extremely noisy in wet weather. 
Often toucans will “mob” an owl or other bird of prey, snatching at 
its tail feathers as they pursue it. 
Toucans can be tamed, and become amusing pets. 
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