Keel-billed Toucan vs Red-billed Toucan

Ramphastos sulfuratus compared with Ramphastos tucanus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Keel-billed Toucan Red-billed Toucan
Scientific Name Ramphastos sulfuratus Ramphastos tucanus
Order Piciformes Piciformes
Family Ramphastidae Ramphastidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length 50.0 cm (19.7 in)
Wingspan 56.0 cm (22.0 in) 47.4 cm (18.7 in)
Weight 400.0 g (14.11 oz) 672.5 g (23.72 oz)
Diet Primarily fruit, supplemented with insects, lizards, eggs, and nestlings. Uses its long bill to reach … --
Clutch Size 1-4 2-3
Population Trend

Size Comparison

Body Length
Keel-billed Toucan 50.0 cm
Red-billed Toucan
Wingspan
Keel-billed Toucan 56.0 cm
Red-billed Toucan 47.4 cm
Weight
Keel-billed Toucan 400.0 g
Red-billed Toucan 672.5 g

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Keel-billed Toucan only

None

Red-billed Toucan only

None

Keel-billed Toucan

Tropical and subtropical lowland rainforests and forest edges from sea level to about 1,900 meters.

Song & Call Comparison

Keel-billed Toucan

Song

Produces a repeated frog-like croaking 'prrrek-prrrek' or 'terrio-terrio'. Not melodic; the call resembles a mechanical rattle or frog. Also gives bill-clattering.

Red-billed Toucan

Geographic Range & Migration

Keel-billed Toucan

Southern Mexico through Central America to northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.

Red-billed Toucan

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Keel-billed Toucan

Least Concern

Red-billed Toucan

How to Tell Them Apart

Keel-billed Toucan

Plumage

Black body with a bright yellow throat and chest. Red undertail coverts. The enormous bill is green with orange sides, a blue patch, and a red tip.

Bill

Enormous, lightweight, multicolored bill up to 15 cm long — green, orange, blue, and red

Red-billed Toucan

About These Birds

Keel-billed Toucan

The keel-billed toucan is the national bird of Belize and one of the most recognizable birds in the Neotropics. Its oversized bill, which can be a third of its body length, is actually very light due to its hollow honeycomb structure. Toucans roost communally, with up to six adults squeezing into a single tree cavity.

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