Hobbies And Interests
Fruits
This colorful bird from the tropical rain forest feeds on a diet that consists mainly of berries and fruit. The bird's large bill allows it to reach for and secure fruit attached to branches that are too thin to hold the toucan's weight. These toucans typically feed on fruit by throwing back their head after plucking the fruit and swallowing it whole. This method of feeding ensures that the seeds remain intact and are viable and ready to grow when passed from the body of this horn-billed species.
Bird's Eggs
The keel-billed toucan has a dexterous bill with which it can remove bird's eggs from holes and crevasses in the trunks of trees. The keel-billed toucan is small enough to move easily among the branches and through dense vegetation to reach the nests of various bird species that inhabit the tropical rain forests in South America.
Tree Frogs
The red-eyed tree frog is primarily nocturnal. These amphibians rest during most of the daylight hours and during that time the keel-billed toucan will forage for this creature. Red-eyed tree frogs rely on their red eyes to startle predators, but keel-billed toucans are able hunters of the little tree dwelling amphibians, sourcing them where they hide on the underside of leaves.
Insects and Lizards
The keel-billed toucan is omnivorous and will hunt lizards and insects, even though the bird's diet is made up principally of fruit. The toucan sources both insects and lizards in the forest canopy. The huge bill of this bird equips the toucan to dig in bark crevasses and holes to forage for insects and lizards. This toucan is also able to roost on solid branches and reach out to capture prey items that are sitting on much thinner branches that the bird cannot reach.