The sizes of toucans vary insignificantly: body length is 35-50 cm, weight is 150-330 g. The constitution of these birds is dense, the wings and bluntly cut tail of medium length, the paws are small, the neck is short, but the modest proportions of these parts of the body compensate for the beak.
It is not only long, but also wide, in the Tougans, when viewed from the side it seems unusually massive and heavy. In fact, the beak of the toucan weighs nothing more than the beak of other small birds, its small mass is provided by air cavities. The edges of the beak are covered with fine pointed notches, which help to hold round fruits. The plumage of these birds is rather stiff, between the beak and the eye is a patch of bare skin.
In all species of toucans, black color predominates in the color of the trunk, but individual parts of the neck, head, wings, chest, paws and even the iris are colored in all colors of the rainbow, the beak is always bright (often red, yellow, orange). Due to this, toucans are considered to be one of the most elegant birds.
Toucans are the largest representatives of the order of the Woodpeckers, distinguished by their exotic appearance. Outwardly, they are very similar to rhino birds, but they are not related to them. These birds are united in the same family, numbering 37 species, their nearest relatives are woodpeckers. Also toucans are sometimes called perciades, but this name is not common.
