Keel-Billed Toucan
(Ramphastos sulfuratus)

Information collected from Wikipedia and other sources. The Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as Sulfur -breasted Toucan or Rainbow-billed Toucan, is a colorful Latin American member of the toucan family. It is the national bird of Belize. The Keel-billed Toucan can be found from Southern Mexico to Venezuela and Colombia. It roosts in the canopies of tropical, subtropical, and lowland rainforests, up to altitudes of 1,900 m. It roosts in holes in trees, often with several other toucans. They live in small social groups, and eat a variety of foods, including berries, insects and even the eggs of other birds, which are stolen from their nests.

The enormous colorful bill of this toucan can be used with great dexterity in picking berries, which are swallowed by tilting the head back with the bill open, tossing the food into the throat. It is also used for signaling in social situations, and for warding off predators. Including its bill, the Keel-billed Toucans ranges in length from around 17 to 22 inches (42–55 cm). Their large and colorful bill averages around 5-6 in (12–15 cm), about one-third of its length. It typically weighs about 380-500 grams (13.4 oz.-1.1 lbs.) While the bill seems large and cumbersome, it is in fact a spongy, hollow bone covered in keratin, a very light and hard protein.