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Habits and Adaptations: These toucans tend to travel in flocks of 6 to 12 birds. The flocks will roost in holes of tree trunks, sometimes with several birds in the same hole. When sleeping in their roosts, keel-billed toucans will fold their tails up over their backs and tuck their bills under their wings.
Keel-billed toucans are not long distance flyers, they prefer to hop around on branches in the upper canopy looking for food. Their large bills are well adaptated to picking off or plucking food items off smaller branches that would not be strong enough to support the weight of the bird.
Breeding and Maturation: They commonly nest in natural tree cavities or nests made by other birds. These toucans are monogamous with both parents incubating the eggs. They commonly lay 1-4 eggs with an incubation period of 17-19 days. After about 5-6 weeks the fledglings are able to leave the nest, though their bills will not be full grown for several more months. Pairs may have up to three clutches in a year.
Lifespan: The keel-billed toucan can live between 15-20 years in the wild and captivity.
Conservation Issues: The rapid destruction of the keel-billed’s rain forest habitat poses a threat, but this toucan is not considered endangered.
Additional Resources:
http:// animal diversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ramphastos_sulfuratus.html
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