Class: AVES

Order: RAMPHASTIDAE

This family of tropical birds, closely related to woodpeckers, has diverged into five major genera. All toucan species are native to Central and South America. The toucan family’s species are as small as the tawny-tufted

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

toucanet, at only some 30 cm at maturity, to the giant, or toco toucan, who is about twice the size. Toucans are typically found in 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.