Toucan
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Toucan
Bird
The largest toucan, a South American bird whose enormous, brightly-coloured bill is surprisingly lightweight and helps it reach fruit and shed body heat.
Name Story
Ramphastos toco
means “the beaked one”
What does its name mean?
- Ramphastos — the one defined by its billGreek rhamphos 'beak'
- toco — the Tupi-Guaraní name that also gives us 'toucan'Tupi-Guaraní tucano
For the bird everyone knows by its enormous, colourful bill, what better name than one that simply means 'the beak'? The toco has the largest bill, compared to its body, of any bird in the world.