The Keel-Billed Toucan - The Most Beautiful Bird in The World Lives in Panama
- Cari Mackey
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
Second place for the most desired animal to see in Panama is worth squawking about but, most beautiful bird in the world is a moon orbiting sized title and one that people travel far and wide to see. Toucans call Mexico to Venezuela home and...wait for it...Morrillo Beach Eco Resort! There it is - another reason to come stay with us.
Have you ever seen one? Shockingly colorful, camouflage is not their greatest skill. But then again, the jungle is home to colors you never knew could exist in nature. Marveling over their colorful beaks, chest, tail and even their feet, you gotta wonder: what are all those colors for?
Ahhhh yes, doing the dirty birdy. To our naked human eyes males and females look the same! It's pretty impossible to tell the sex simply from observation. Usually, it seems, the male among bird species is the one modeling the vibrant colors, intricate feather-work, and captivating calls but in this case, it's almost like they are trying to attract themselves. Oh mirror on the wall...who's the most beautiful bird of all?
Maybe it is size that matters. For their beak that is. Among birds, they have one of the largest beaks and obviously the most colorful. Though that beautiful beak looks cumbersome as it makes up a third of the size of their bodies, and when they glide through the air it appears to be weighing them down, in reality, it's very light. They just aren't very good fliers because their wings are rather heavy given the size of their bodies. So, they bounce around the jungle eating the usual bird stuff like fruits and bugs using their beaks to pick and toss their treats to share with others and then soar to the next tree in search of a tasty treat.
Maybe that's how they find their mate - flirting through sharing. Actually it is! See? Sharing is caring. The male will offer a treat to a female and then they will toss it back and forth as a mating ritual - you know, like Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. That's not all that they share though. Males and females equally take care of the nest of up to 4 eggs at time and once hatched, the mom and dad equally share the burden of caring for those hungry little babies.
That beautiful beak isn't just for showing off and volleying back and forth, that beak is their air-conditioner. Filled with blood vessels and uninsulated, toucans alter their blood flow diverting warm blood to their beak to be cooled. The larger the beak - the more efficiently they can regulate their temperature so, size really DOES matter!
Being on the life list of many birders, between their loud trills, and their super model looks, toucans are not hard to find once you get to the areas where they live (hint, hint). If you want to hear what they sound like, click on the video below. Traveling always in pairs and sometimes in a flock up to 20 toucans at a time, they hop up into the canopy and then soar across to other trees which is so much fun when you finally spot one in the canopy above then another...and another...and you get the point.
Your Friends in Morrillo,
Cari and Ryan Mackey
Owners and Hosts
Morrillo Beach Eco Resort
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