Keel-billed Toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus

Keel-billed Toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus. Photograph taken in the coastal region of Guatemala, March 2020. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Tom Bartol, Carlsbad, California.

Background and Identification

Habitat and Geographical Range

Common Misidentifications

Conservation Perspective

The Keel-billed Toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus, is a member of the Ramphastidae Family of Toucans. They are mid-sized in stature. In Mexico they are found in the coastal regions within the Atlantic Slope from the State of Veracruz to Belize including the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Hidalgo, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz and Yucatán at elevations below 1,400 m (4,600 feet). From a conservation perspective the Keel-billed Toucan is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are found in humid lowland forests, primarily in the canopy, that include open rain forests and in dry forests along rivers and streams. They consume a wide variety of fruits and seeds and supplement their diets with animal protein (lizards and snakes), insects, and eggs of small passerines.