Our first ever Toucan in the wild – in the hotel garden

The Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) also known as Sulfur-breasted Toucan or Rainbow-billed Toucan, is a colourful Latin American member of the toucan family, it is the national bird of Belize and loads of them live here in Tikal. Bear calls the toucan a flying banana, he calls these chaps the flying plantains. As soon as the waiters knew I wanted to photograph them, they kept a sharp look-out, each morning we saw them after breakfast just outside the main entrance.

Description: Including its bill, the Keel-billed Toucans ranges in length from around 17 - 22 inches. Their large and colourful bill averages around 5 - 6 inches, about one-third of its length. It typically weighs about 13.4 - 17 ounces. While the bill seems large and cumbersome, it is in fact a spongy, hollow bone covered in keratin, a very light and hard protein. The plumage of the Keel-billed Toucan is mainly black with a yellow neck and chest. Molting occurs once per year.It has blue feet and red feathers at the tip of its tail. The bill is mainly green with a red tip and orange sides. Keel-billed toucans have zygodactyl feet (or feet with toes facing in different directions) - two toes face forward and two face back. Because toucans spend a large portion of time in the trees, this helps the birds to stay on the branches of the trees and hop from one branch to another.

Despite their huge bill and yellow bib, they blend in quite well

Distribution: The Keel-billed Toucan can be found from Southern Mexico to Venezuela and Colombia. It roosts in the canopies of tropical, subtropical, and lowland rainforests, up to altitudes of 1,900 m. It roosts in holes in trees, often with several other toucans. This can be very cramped, so the birds tuck their tails and beaks under their bodies to conserve space while sleeping. Adding to the lack of space, the bottoms of the holes are often covered with pips from the fruit the toucans have eaten.

Like many toucans, Keel-billed is a very social bird, rarely seen alone. It travels in small flocks of approximately six to twelve individuals through lowland rainforests; it is a poor flyer, moving about mostly by hopping through the trees. It has a family structure within the group. Birds will often "duel" with each other using their bills, and throw fruit into each other's mouths. Keel-billed Toucans live together in these groups, often sharing cramped living quarters of holes in trees. Able to utilize human-altered habitat to some extent, this widespread bird is considered to be a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN. Here at the Tikal Inn we see five couples who breed successfully each year.