Toco Toucan

The largest of all toucans and one of the most iconic birds of northeastern Argentina. The body plumage is glossy black. The breast and throat are white with an orange lower border. The bill is extraordinarily large: it can measure 19 to 23 cm, almost as long as the body. The base of the bill is bright orange with a black patch at the tip and a red stripe along the culmen. The skin around the eye is blue. The eye is bright blue. It measures 55 to 65 cm. Despite its apparent size, the bill is hollow and very light.

Behaviour

Social and noisy. It lives in groups of 3 to 12 individuals that follow one another through the forest canopy. It feeds mainly on canopy fruit, but also on the eggs of other birds, chicks and small reptiles. Its long bill lets it reach fruit on branches where it cannot perch. It nests in the hollows of tall trees.

How and when to see it

Year round in the portals with gallery forest and woodland with tall trees. Its presence is easy to detect by its call: a loud, repetitive croak that carries a long way.

Where to see it in the Iberá

The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where toco toucan has confirmed presence:

Tours to see it

Verified providers operating at the gateways where toco toucan lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.

• Esteros Ñe’é
  Experiencias con relato local y mirada cultural sobre los esteros.★ 5.0
• Gaucho Argentino
  Travesías a caballo por una red de refugios en el Iberá. Cabalgatas de varios días con…★ 5.0
• Jurassic Plant - Tour Nocturno
  El único jardín de plantas carnívoras de Argentina y pionero en Latinoamérica. Tour…★ 5.0
• Irupé Excursiones
  Senderismo guiado. Visita guiada a museos, lugares históricos, capillas y senderos del…★ 5.0

Species profile

• Common nameToco Toucan
• Scientific nameRamphastos toco
• GroupBird
• StatusNative

Other species of the Iberá

• 🦜 Red-and-green Macaw
• 🦤 Greater Rhea
• 🐦 Strange-tailed Tyrant
• 🦢 Southern Screamer
• 🦩 Jabiru
• 🦃 Bare-faced Curassow
• 🐦 Giant Wood-Rail
• 🦩 Wood Stork