What Do Toucans Eat? (All You Need To Know)

toucan family Mothidae Contains 40 different species, including araçaris and toucans. The most famous toucan is undoubtedly the Toco toucan, known for its large bright orange beak. Toucans are tropical birds that inhabit the forests and mountains of Central and South America, but here we answer; what do toucans eat?

Toucans, toucans and araçaris are omnivorous. Although fruit is their main diet, they also depend on insects for dietary protein and are opportunistic predators, eating lizards, small birds and eggs. Like many other tropical birds, toucans play a vital role in tropical ecosystems by dispersing fruit tree seeds.

While toucans are cute and playful, they are not harmless and have been known to raid other birds’ nests and eat their eggs and chicks. They also eat lizards, frogs and other small invertebrates.

Read on to learn more about the diet and feeding habits of this quirky and iconic bird!

A toco toucan (Ramphastos toco) perched on a branch throwing food into its beak,

Are toucans omnivores?

Toucans are technically omnivorous, as they eat both arthropod and invertebrate forms of meat, as well as fruit. However, fruit made up the vast majority of their diets.

Toco toucans, for example, feed primarily on figs, oranges, guavas, peppers and a range of other less common tropical fruits. A study of white-throated toucans found 87 percent fruit in their stomachs, with the remainder mostly arthropods.

In terms of insects and invertebrates, toucans eat termites, spiders, caterpillars, pupae and larvae. Most toucans also prey on other small birds. Toco toucans eat the eggs and chicks of blackbirds, pigeons and flycatchers as well as other toucans. Toucans have also been observed eating lizards and frogs.

Toucans and araces are also omnivores, eating fruit, invertebrates and other birds and their eggs. However, emerald toucans consume more berries than most other toucans.

Emerald toucans consume more berries than most other toucans

What plants do toucans eat?

Toucans eat mostly fruit, but small amounts of plants have also been found in the stomachs of some toucans. Figs, oranges, guavas and peppers are their favorite foods, but as many as 113 plants have been found in the diet of emerald toucans!

the fruit of silkworm Trees and palm species such as Oil fruit tree Especially important to some toucans. Toucans play a key role in dispersing the seeds of fruit trees. They generally don’t eat seeds as they generally cannot digest them, but they will still drop seeds when they do feed.

Toucans are flexible when it comes to fruit and plant consumption and will eat whatever is in season.

Chestnut-jawed toucan (Ramphastos swainsonii) eating guava

What insects do toucans eat?

Spiders, ants, termites, moths, caterpillars and various larvae all occur in the toucans’ diet.

All birds in the toucan family eat some insects and invertebrates. When breeding, toucans increase their consumption of protein-rich insects, which are also fed to their chicks.

How do toucans eat?

Toucans use their long beaks to pick fruit from trees. Some toucans, such as the toco toucan, use their beaks to catch food and throw it toward the back of their throats.

It’s tempting to assume that toucans evolved their large beaks for picking fruit from trees, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Darwin believed that toucans’ large bills evolved for sexual selection and competition, but researchers now know that toucans’ large bills acted as radiators, allowing them to cool down in hot weather.

However, beaks are invaluable tools for foraging in the rainforest, and toucans are often seen hanging from tree branches and taking advantage of their extended reach. So there may be more than one reason for the evolution of their large bills.

sharp-billed toucan eating food

How do toucans find food?

Toucans forage with their mates or in small flocks of up to 10 or 20 birds. Foraging usually occurs above ground in the upper and middle canopy – most toucans rarely visit the forest floor.

Instead, they use their beaks to pick food from trees and take their chances on insects and animals from twigs and leaves.

Foraging is often a social activity. However, certain toucan species, such as the gray-breasted mountain toucan, will even forage with other birds (although this is unusual behavior for toucans).

How much do toucans eat a day?

Little is known about how often wild toucans eat. However, toucans in captivity require regular meals, usually two to six times a day.

This is because toucans have little or no access to crops, which means they cannot store excess food like other birds. Therefore, they need to eat regular, small meals throughout the day. Many people underestimate the strength of a toucan’s diet, resulting in sick and malnourished pet toucans.

A green aracari eating fruit in the forest

What do toucans in the rainforest eat?

Toucans eat a wide variety of fruits and plants – over 100 have been found in the stomach contents of some toucans!

Insects, invertebrates and small animals (mainly frogs and lizards) make up the rest of their diet. Tropical rainforests provide a wide variety of food, and toucans are very adaptable, so they eat what’s in season.

In some areas, the toucans’ rainforest habitat is being depleted by deforestation. Like many other tropical birds, they depend on the rich and diverse rainforest ecosystems to survive and reproduce. This is partly responsible for the rapid decline in wild toucans.

A toco toucan eating guava in the rainforest

What animals do toucans eat?

Toucans are opportunistic predators that prey on small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards and birds.

Rarely has the plate-billed toucan been observed eating caecilians, a type of amphibious worm. Toco toucans often eat the eggs and chicks of blackbirds, pigeons, and flycatchers.

Toucans can be aggressive and vicious – Toco toucans have been observed attacking and killing blackbirds, tanagers, flycatchers, pigeons, parrots and hummingbirds.

fruit-eating plate-billed toucan

What time of day do toucans eat?

Toucans eat throughout the day. There is no evidence that toucans feed at night.

What do baby toucans eat?

Small toucans feed on soft fruit, insects and arthropods.

During the breeding season, toucans increase their intake of insects — insects are rich in protein that young birds need to grow. Both parents usually feed the chicks.

What do toucans drink?

Toucans only drink water. In the wild, toucans likely meet their water needs by eating juicy fruits such as guavas and citrus.

What do captive toucans eat?

Pets and captive toucans require a varied diet rich in fruit, as well as pelleted foods low in iron.

In terms of fruit, captive toucans should be fed bananas, guavas, mangoes, apples, papayas, oranges, pears, figs, and melons. Some toucans may prefer mealworms or even live insects such as crickets or larvae.

Excessive iron consumption can lead to hemochromatosis, or iron storage disease, which is a common problem in pet toucans. Feeding a pet toucan with an iron-controlled diet is crucial.

Toco toucan eating fruit

Do toucans eat other birds?

Toucans are omnivores and will eat the chicks of other birds.

Although toucans are primarily frugivorous, they can be aggressive towards other birds.

Toucans use their large beaks to pry open nests and eat the chicks of blackbirds, pigeons and flycatchers. They also prey on each other’s nests—it’s not uncommon for one toucan to eat the eggs and chicks of another.

Toucan Diet FAQs

What do Toco toucans eat?

Toco toucans are omnivores, eating a variety of fruits, insects, invertebrates and small animals such as frogs, lizards and birds. Toco toucans are often observed raiding the nests of other toucans, blackbirds, pigeons and flycatchers. They are one of the more aggressive toucans.

Do toucans eat parrots?

Toucans are opportunistic predators that prey on other birds, including parrots. Toucans have been observed to kill medium-sized birds with their beaks but not to eat them with their large beaks.

Do toucans eat bananas?

Toucans aren’t particularly fond of bananas in the wild, but they will eat them in captivity.

Do toucans eat mangoes?

Toucans do eat mangoes. Mangoes are an excellent food for captive and pet toucans. Mangoes are usually a bit large for toucans to eat in the wild.

Do Toucans Eat Pineapple?

Pineapples are large and have rough skins, making them difficult to eat in the wild. However, pineapples can be fed to pets and captive toucans.

Toco Toucan eats bananas on a tree in Brazil

Can toucans eat cucumbers?

Some captive toucans may like cucumbers, but it’s not something they would naturally eat in the wild. Cucumbers are still nutritious for birds and are a great water source.

Do toucans eat sloths?

Toucans don’t eat sloths. They are opportunistic predators, but they only target birds, lizards and the occasional frog that wanders into the canopy.

Can toucans eat strawberries?

Captive or pet toucans can eat strawberries, although this is not a food they often encounter in the wild.

Do toucans eat coffee trees?

Toucans do not need coffee trees and should not be fed coffee beans.

Do toucans eat hummingbirds?

Toucans have been observed eating hummingbirds. In most cases, hummingbirds are too small and agile for toucans, and their nests are often too close to the forest floor; toucans rarely roam beyond the upper and middle canopy, so hummingbirds are not often encountered .