Toucan
By Emmanuel
The Toucan Looks Like?
Hey! Who do you think the guy on the Froot Loops cereal box is? Just a reminder, he is very fruity. Well if you guessed toucan, you are right. Oh yeah, if you guessed Toucan Sam, you are also right. I think Froot Loops made him a cartoon character because scientists believe toucans are the symbol of intelligence and playfulness. The toucan is also very colorful. Some of its colors are orange, green, yellow, red, and blue. And their bill (beak) makes them one of the most popular birds in the world!
Toucans have enormous bills! The bill can grow up to 9 inches long, and can be half the length of the toucan’s whole body. Toucan’s feet are very similar to cat claws, but no fur, and there are two toes in the front and back of the feet. That’s called zygodactyl feet. Their feet are very useful for flying and getting a good grip on branches. The toes help them balance on a thin branch, and the nails on the toes help by clawing on the branch to hold the light toucan. It can weigh from 2 lbs. to 14 lbs. That's kind of the weight of a new born baby, more or less, for the maximum weight of the toucan.
After you read this, you’ll probably think the toucan is a cool bird. If you don’t…I’d be upset, because I did all this explaining. But, it’s your choice.
I Love Home!
Do you know a very colorful bird? Another reminder, he has a huge bill. What did you guess? If you guessed toucan, you’re right! Like in the movie Rio, with the toucan Raphael. Rio is a place in Brazil. That is one of the places the toucan lives and only because people take them as pets and there is a rainforest there. Most of them live in the Amazon rainforest (or around Brazil). The toucan is very popular there. The toucan can also live in other tropical forests.
Born to Be a Toucan
Don’t worry, for this section I’m not asking you a question. I thought you might be getting annoyed with all the questions. This section will be about the life cycle of a toucan, but first…compare a normal, natural human to a toucan. Normal people have dates, and toucans flirt too. But not like humans do, they show off their bill, and the girl toucan sees which bill is bigger, the bigger the better. I know it’s weird but think of the bill (same as the beak) as a nice haircut on a person. It’s the way the toucan attracts a mate. But not literally, if the bill was on top of its head, HOW WOULD IT FLY???
Another way the toucans flirt is by throwing fruits into each others mouths, awkward and disgusting for humans but natural for toucans. That's actually how they mate. But not just any fruits, usually grapes. I mean, can a toucan throw a watermelon into each other’s mouth... OUCH! Probably wouldn’t make it to the next round of throwing fruit.
After two toucans mate, they would probably lay an egg. And after they lay an egg it will take about 6-8 weeks to hatch a baby toucan. Then the babies will stay in the nest for 5-8 weeks to develop and grow the bill. What would you think it would be like if humans were like that? I think it would be horrible. These are my reasons:
1. Humans don't have bills or beaks or feathers.
2. Babies are not colorful on the outside.
3. Babies don't learn how to walk in only 5-8 weeks or fly ever.
The toucan's babies are clear when they're born, having no bill or feathers. They stay in the nest and usually the male finds food for the babies. And they grow and grow and grow and once you know it, BOOM, the toucan is a grown up. It becomes an adult, and then the cycle goes over again.
I’m Hungry
Yumm…..someone’s hungry. Probably the predators (animal that eats another animal) of the toucan! One of their predators is humans. Humans always hunt for toucans. That’s why they are endangered. You won’t believe this but…army ants are another predator of the toucan!!! Remember, not just any ants, like I said, ARMY ANTS. Also, the toucans have other predators. Please look on the list below (if you want to find out…do it!).
· Army ants (again)
· Owls
· Eagles
· Hawks
· Boa constrictors
· Jaguars (big cats)
· Others (others would mean…other animals who can devour it whole.)
· Weasels and rats can eat the toucan’s eggs!
I See You
Picture this, a toucan eating another bird’s eggs! The toucan and the macaw are actually related, but the toucan will eat the macaw’s eggs! It’s weird because one, they’re both birds, two, the macaw and the toucan are both related. The toucan eats chicks too, that’s a baby bird!! Also, the prey of the toucan include: insects, lizards (even though they can be bigger than the toucan!), assassin bugs, and fish. It would be easy for a toucan to catch fish because of its long bill. Pretty cool right? And you thought bears were the only animals who eat fish. The toucan is an omnivore. That’s an animal who eats plants and animals.
Natural
The toucan’s bill is also a taste tester. How, you might ask? Well I have answers. The toucan uses its tongue inside the bill to taste the food to see if it’s okay or not.
Toucans really love fruit because it keeps them flying. The fruits, for them, are like veggies for humans. They can eat berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.), grapes, and other fruits you can eat without peeling.
Toucans can fly in a flock or by themselves. Toucans usually can fly together in a flock (birds together flying) of seven toucans, more or less. Or it can fly with other species of birds.
The only birds related to the toucan are:
· Macaw
· Parrots
· Rhinoceros hornbill
· (I didn’t find other birds but there is probably more.)
Wow, surprising, right? Only three birds are related to the toucan. (If there is more, I haven’t found it.)
By Emmanuel
The Toucan Looks Like?
Hey! Who do you think the guy on the Froot Loops cereal box is? Just a reminder, he is very fruity. Well if you guessed toucan, you are right. Oh yeah, if you guessed Toucan Sam, you are also right. I think Froot Loops made him a cartoon character because scientists believe toucans are the symbol of intelligence and playfulness. The toucan is also very colorful. Some of its colors are orange, green, yellow, red, and blue. And their bill (beak) makes them one of the most popular birds in the world!
Toucans have enormous bills! The bill can grow up to 9 inches long, and can be half the length of the toucan’s whole body. Toucan’s feet are very similar to cat claws, but no fur, and there are two toes in the front and back of the feet. That’s called zygodactyl feet. Their feet are very useful for flying and getting a good grip on branches. The toes help them balance on a thin branch, and the nails on the toes help by clawing on the branch to hold the light toucan. It can weigh from 2 lbs. to 14 lbs. That's kind of the weight of a new born baby, more or less, for the maximum weight of the toucan.
After you read this, you’ll probably think the toucan is a cool bird. If you don’t…I’d be upset, because I did all this explaining. But, it’s your choice.
I Love Home!
Do you know a very colorful bird? Another reminder, he has a huge bill. What did you guess? If you guessed toucan, you’re right! Like in the movie Rio, with the toucan Raphael. Rio is a place in Brazil. That is one of the places the toucan lives and only because people take them as pets and there is a rainforest there. Most of them live in the Amazon rainforest (or around Brazil). The toucan is very popular there. The toucan can also live in other tropical forests.
Born to Be a Toucan
Don’t worry, for this section I’m not asking you a question. I thought you might be getting annoyed with all the questions. This section will be about the life cycle of a toucan, but first…compare a normal, natural human to a toucan. Normal people have dates, and toucans flirt too. But not like humans do, they show off their bill, and the girl toucan sees which bill is bigger, the bigger the better. I know it’s weird but think of the bill (same as the beak) as a nice haircut on a person. It’s the way the toucan attracts a mate. But not literally, if the bill was on top of its head, HOW WOULD IT FLY???
Another way the toucans flirt is by throwing fruits into each others mouths, awkward and disgusting for humans but natural for toucans. That's actually how they mate. But not just any fruits, usually grapes. I mean, can a toucan throw a watermelon into each other’s mouth... OUCH! Probably wouldn’t make it to the next round of throwing fruit.
After two toucans mate, they would probably lay an egg. And after they lay an egg it will take about 6-8 weeks to hatch a baby toucan. Then the babies will stay in the nest for 5-8 weeks to develop and grow the bill. What would you think it would be like if humans were like that? I think it would be horrible. These are my reasons:
1. Humans don't have bills or beaks or feathers.
2. Babies are not colorful on the outside.
3. Babies don't learn how to walk in only 5-8 weeks or fly ever.
The toucan's babies are clear when they're born, having no bill or feathers. They stay in the nest and usually the male finds food for the babies. And they grow and grow and grow and once you know it, BOOM, the toucan is a grown up. It becomes an adult, and then the cycle goes over again.
I’m Hungry
Yumm…..someone’s hungry. Probably the predators (animal that eats another animal) of the toucan! One of their predators is humans. Humans always hunt for toucans. That’s why they are endangered. You won’t believe this but…army ants are another predator of the toucan!!! Remember, not just any ants, like I said, ARMY ANTS. Also, the toucans have other predators. Please look on the list below (if you want to find out…do it!).
· Army ants (again)
· Owls
· Eagles
· Hawks
· Boa constrictors
· Jaguars (big cats)
· Others (others would mean…other animals who can devour it whole.)
· Weasels and rats can eat the toucan’s eggs!
I See You
Picture this, a toucan eating another bird’s eggs! The toucan and the macaw are actually related, but the toucan will eat the macaw’s eggs! It’s weird because one, they’re both birds, two, the macaw and the toucan are both related. The toucan eats chicks too, that’s a baby bird!! Also, the prey of the toucan include: insects, lizards (even though they can be bigger than the toucan!), assassin bugs, and fish. It would be easy for a toucan to catch fish because of its long bill. Pretty cool right? And you thought bears were the only animals who eat fish. The toucan is an omnivore. That’s an animal who eats plants and animals.
Natural
The toucan’s bill is also a taste tester. How, you might ask? Well I have answers. The toucan uses its tongue inside the bill to taste the food to see if it’s okay or not.
Toucans really love fruit because it keeps them flying. The fruits, for them, are like veggies for humans. They can eat berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.), grapes, and other fruits you can eat without peeling.
Toucans can fly in a flock or by themselves. Toucans usually can fly together in a flock (birds together flying) of seven toucans, more or less. Or it can fly with other species of birds.
The only birds related to the toucan are:
· Macaw
· Parrots
· Rhinoceros hornbill
· (I didn’t find other birds but there is probably more.)
Wow, surprising, right? Only three birds are related to the toucan. (If there is more, I haven’t found it.)