Reproduction
- Between the males and females of the toco toucans, there are no noticeable differences
- Unlike most animals, this beautiful species is a monogamous one (this means that they form one permanent pair for life)
- The nest: Toco toucans do not truly make nests for their young. They find a hollow tree that was natural or even drilled by woodpeckers. You can usually find a nest about 65-100 feet up in the air. The floor of the nest is either lined with a few shavings or bare.
- Reproduction takes place internally.
- Up to an average of 4 white, glossy, and fairly rounded eggs are created.
- There is a 16 day incubation period. Both parents take turns sharing the duties of parenthood incubating their eggs although sometimes a parent can only sit for about one hour before leaving.
- Once eggs have successfully hatched, it is common for the toucan parents to be very clean. They carry the waste from nests in their large bills. This characteristic is different from the Keel-billed Toucan.
*If you would like to see more
photos of the progression of a
newly hatched toco toucan to a
grown adult, just click on any
image seen on the right.
Babies: Once hatched, these newborns are born blind and naked. They have an ankle joint pad of spike-like projections. These spike-like projections are used to protect against wood and discareded seeds inside the nesting hole that have not been cleaned by the parents yet. Both the parents take responsibility of feeding the newborns. New feathers do not begin to expand until about 4 weeks. It is about 6 weeks when they have enough feathers to be able to leave the nest.
images by: Gail J. Worth
Aves International http://www.avesint.com
