Bird · GBIF taxon 2478771
Keel-billed Toucan
Ramphastos sulfuratusAlso known as Rainbow-billed Toucan, Sulphur-breasted Toucan
Keel-billed toucans travel through the high rainforest canopy in small, noisy flocks of up to a dozen individuals, often seen playing bill-fencing games or tossing fruit to each other during courtship. At night, family groups squeeze into tight tree hollows, tucking their massive bills against their chests and flipping their tails over their backs to save space. Their low, frog-like croaks resonate across the treetops, serving as territorial contact calls throughout the morning.
Canopy DwellerFrugivorousVocal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Near ThreatenedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNear ThreatenedRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Figs
- Cecropia Fruit
- Tree Frogs
Predators
- Harpy Eagle
- Black Hawk-Eagle
- Tayra
ThreatsDeforestation, forest fragmentation, hunting, and capture for the illegal cage-bird trade
HabitatsTropical lowland rainforests, montane forests, and secondary woodland canopies
Life span15–20 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderPiciformes
- FamilyRamphastidae
- GenusRamphastos
- SpeciesRamphastos sulfuratus
Native
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- What to notice
- Recognizable by the outsized multi-colored bill, bright yellow chest bib, and contrasting scarlet undertail coverts.
- Support conservation
- Observe quietly through binoculars or telephoto lenses without using playback calls that distress territorial pairs.
Responsible observation
- Listening: Tune in for a rhythmic, cricket-like or frog-like croaking call at dawn and dusk.
- Canopy Scanning: Look for flashes of yellow and lime green along dead emergent snags where they love to sunbathe.
- Nesting Etiquette: Maintain quiet distance near hollow tree trunks to avoid disturbing roosting families.
Predator (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning · cc-by
Close Relative "Yellow-throated Toucan" by Becky Matsubara is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Same Family no rights reserved · cc0
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