The keel-billed toucan, also known as rainbow-billed toucan or sulphur-breasted toucan, is a species of toucan native to southern Mexico, Central America and the far northwest of South America, and is found in tropical forests. It is the national bird of Belize. It is an omnivorous forest bird that feeds on fruit, seeds, insects, invertebrates, lizards, snakes, and small birds and their eggs.
Region
Central America
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and into extreme northwestern Colombia. It inhabits humid lowland and foothill tropical forests, forest edges, and mature secondary growth. The species favors the canopy and subcanopy but regularly visits fruiting trees at edges and in forest clearings. It can adapt to mosaic landscapes with scattered large trees and plantations, provided fruit resources and cavities remain available.
Altitude Range
0–1900 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Also called the rainbow-billed toucan, it sports a lightweight, honeycombed bill that looks heavy but is mostly air-filled keratin. It often tosses fruit into the air and catches it whole, later regurgitating seeds and aiding forest regeneration. The species roosts in tree cavities, sometimes with several birds squeezed together, bills tucked to conserve space. It is the national bird of Belize.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats interspersed with glides
Social Behavior
Typically travels in small groups of 3–12 birds, foraging together in the canopy. Nests in natural tree cavities or old woodpecker holes; both sexes share incubation and chick-rearing. Groups may roost communally, packing tightly into cavities.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are frog-like croaks and yelping calls, often described as rattling or nasal. Calls carry well through the forest canopy and are given in sequences during foraging and group contact.
Plumage
Mostly black body with a bright sulphur-yellow throat and upper chest, and red to orange-red undertail coverts. The bill is large and multicolored with a distinct keel. Bare facial skin is greenish with bluish legs and feet.
Diet
Primarily frugivorous but opportunistically takes insects, spiders, small lizards, and bird eggs or nestlings. It swallows many fruits whole and later regurgitates seeds, playing a key role in seed dispersal. Prey items are gleaned from foliage or snatched during short sallies from perches.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mainly in the canopy and subcanopy at fruiting trees, especially figs and Cecropia. Also forages along forest edges, riverine corridors, and in mature secondary growth and shaded plantations.
