Class: AVES

Order: PICIFORMES

Family: RAMPHASTIDAE

This White-breasted Toucan is typically considered a 'major' toucan, as it is relatively large in size.

This family of perching birds with relatively large bills is closely related to the woodpecker, and have diverged into 5 major genera. In these five genera exist some 40 or more recognised species in all, this number including the tiny aracaris and toucanets, which are the smallest toucans. The smallest of these, the Tawny-tufted Toucanet, is just 30 centimetres as an adult, though the largest, the Toco, or Giant Toucan, may grow double the size. The toucans belonging to genus Ramphastos are typically known as ‘major toucans’, as they are larger in size. All toucans are native across Central and South America, and typically inhabit dense forest.

The closest living relatives of toucans are barbets, morphologically similar birds, native to Africa, Latin America and Asia. Toucans and Barbets diverged some 2 million years ago. The primitive toucans were perhaps smaller in size, more to a toucanet. In some species, the beak would grow, not for feeding reasons, as they feed on small fruits, but for keeping the heat of the bird stable. It’s possible that the spreading of tropical forest enhanced speciation rates in primitive toucans, as the birds that could not adapt to the changing biomes would go extinct.