toucan

American  

[too-kan, -kahn, too-kahn] / ˈtu kæn, -kɑn, tuˈkɑn /

noun

• toucans
  plural

1. any of several usually brightly colored, fruit-eating birds of the family Ramphastidae, of tropical America, having a very large bill.

2. Astronomy. Toucan, the constellation Tucana.

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toucan British  

/ ˈtuːkən /

noun

1. any tropical American arboreal fruit-eating bird of the family Ramphastidae, having a large brightly coloured bill with serrated edges and a bright plumage

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• toucans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of toucan

First recorded in 1550–60; from French, from Portuguese tucano, from Tupi tucan (imitative of its cry)

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Explanation

A toucan is a brilliantly colored bird with a comically large beak. Different species of toucans inhabit the canopies of rainforests in Central and South America. A toucan's bill is so big that it measures up to a third of the bird's total length! How does the toucan hold up that huge bill? Despite its size, the toucan's bill is surprisingly lightweight, made of a spongy material with many air pockets. Toucans use their bills to reach hanging fruit, snag insects or lizards, attract mates with their vibrant colors, and even to keep themselves cool.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toucan toucans

As we talk, on occasion the screeching call of a toucan pierces the quiet, and miles above, the same giant black birds hover menacingly in groups, surveying everything below.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026

In contrast, larger birds such as the Toco toucan or the Curl-crested jay disperse the seeds of trees with a higher carbon storage potential.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2024

We saw our first chestnut-eared aracari, a kind of toucan with a signature blue patch around its eye.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

Also, a confiscated keel-billed toucan begins a new life at the zoo and the gorillas get a new form of entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2021

Imagine a fifty-pound pigeon with the feet of a turkey, the beak of a toucan, and the prehistoric charm of a rhinoceros.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

She is wearing gold drop earrings and a turquoise dress made from fabric featuring a rainforest of monkeys, toucans and lemurs.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2025

The town lies on a remote stretch of coast covered by dense rainforests that are home to monkeys, toucans and colorful poison dart frogs.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

As the researchers sequentially removed species from most to least threatened, toucans, hornbills, hummingbirds, and other distinctive species dropped out; similar birds—think finches and starlings—remained.

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 21, 2022

The tiger and the buffalo, the toucans and monkeys and the mandrills in the trees, all start dancing to an old rave tune; the kids bop along, too.

From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2021

Lourdes refilled the mosaic-lined fountain with sweet water and built an aviary in the garden, stocking it with toucans and cockatoos, parrots, a macaw, and canaries that sang in high octaves.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

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