Free Teacher Resources
A black toco toucan with a huge orange bill perched on a branch.
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Toco Toucan

Ramphastos toco

The largest toucan, with a huge orange bill that is light because it is made of keratin.

🐦 Toucans
Checking teacher reviews…
Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Toco Toucan

Toco toucans are the largest toucans: about 25 inches long, including a 7.5-inch bill, and almost 2 pounds. They have the largest bill compared to body size of any bird. The bill is made of keratin, like your fingernails, so it is light. They live in woodlands near rivers, savannas and shrublands of South America and eat mostly fruit, plus insects, eggs and chicks.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Ramphastos toco[1]
Size
About 25 inches long, including a 7.5-inch bill.[1]
Weight
Almost 2 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
Up to 20 years.[1]
Diet
Mostly fruit, plus insects, eggs and chicks.[1]
Habitat
Woodlands near rivers, savanna and shrubland.[1]
Where it lives
Northeastern and central South America, including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.[1]
Group life
Alone or in small flocks of up to six.[1]
Babies
2 to 4 eggs in a tree hole, incubated 17 to 18 days.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2025).[2]

Fun facts

  • A toco toucan's bill is made of keratin, like your fingernails.[1]
  • Toco toucans have the biggest bill for their body size of any bird.[1]
  • Chicks' bills take up to a year to grow to full size.[1]

Vocabulary

keratin
A tough material that makes up hair, nails, horns, feathers and beaks.
bill
A bird's beak.
cavity
A hole, such as a hollow in a tree, used as a nest.
monogamous
Having one mate at a time, sometimes for life.
least concern
A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Toco toucan.” https://www.sfzoo.org/toco-toucan/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Ramphastos toco (Toco Toucan).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682164/281011279 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Toucans

A curl-crested araçari with curly black head feathers and a large colorful bill.Curl-Crested AraçariPteroglossus beauharnaesiiA small, colorful toucan of the western Amazon with shiny, curled black feathers on its head that look like plastic.