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Animal Themes
Birds
Rain Forest

Toucans

Toucans
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    flashy, hence, keyword, lightweight, mating, rests, species, toucan, mates, natural, mainly, odd-looking, fetch, pluck, actually, male
     content words:    South America

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Other Languages
     French: Les toucans
     Spanish: Los Tucanes

Toucans   
1     When we think of birds living in rain forests, toucans are usually the first to come to our minds. This odd-looking bird is difficult to miss - the bird's brightly colored beak is so large that it is about the same length as the bird's body! There are about 40 different species of toucans, and they all live in the tropical areas of Mexico, Central and South America. Toucans mainly feed on berries and seeds, but they also eat small insects, reptiles, and birds.
 
2     How can toucans balance themselves with such huge and seemingly heavy beaks? Well, "seemingly" is the keyword here, because their beaks are actually hollow and lightweight! Hence, toucans can fly or perch on tree branches without toppling over! Toucans use their colorful, oversized beaks for several purposes - to fetch food, to play throw-and-catch, to wrestle, and to attract mates. With their long beaks, toucans can reach berries growing on a more distant twig. When they pluck a berry or seed in their giant beaks, they may toss the food high in the air for their neighbors to catch. If two toucans are mad at each other, they fight with their beaks - they wrestle until one gives up! During the mating season, male toucans show off their flashy beaks to draw female toucans' attention.
 
3     Surprisingly, toucans are related to woodpeckers. Unlike woodpeckers, however, toucans cannot use their light, fragile beaks to "drill" holes on tree trunks. Instead, toucans must use natural tree holes or holes constructed by other animals as their nests. How does a toucan fit in a small tree hole? Interestingly, when a toucan is about to sleep, it turns its head and rests its oversized beak on its back. Then, it folds its tail up over its head. BANG! A toucan just turns itself into a feather ball!
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