A big black bird (55 cm) with a white throat and a big red
bill with a yellow border. It is also called white-throated
toucan.They can be heard everywhere in Suriname, but mostly in
the interior. In the coastal region their favorite places are the
trees on the sand ridges. These toucans are heard more often than
seen with their characteristic 'ku ya
ke' or 'ku ya ke ke' call (166 kB), especially in rainy
weather.
Toucans are easily spotted in flight with their big bill and
their undulating way of flying. Most times they fly over short
distances. What they're good in, is hopping from branch to brach,
searching for seeds and berries. They pick them with the end of
their bill, throw them up and swallow them. Toucans also eat
insects.
Large photo above is made by Carla Out. The picture below is made
by J.H. Ribot at the house of the family Fung, Nieuw Nickerie in
Suriname. Then a picture made by J.P. Schultz and one by Louis
des Tombes, all in Suriname.
Pictures of all and sounds of some other toucans
from Suriname can be found on this site.
Each small square indicates the observation of at least one (group) of these birds, the medium ones at least 4 observations on different days and the largest ones 10 or more. The color of each square indicates: blue for coastal area, yellow for savanna and red for rainforest.
Picture of a toucan by Dominiek Plouvier, Suriname 1986
| Distribution in Suriname (explanation) | |
| Coastal area |  |
| Savanna | |
| Forests | |
| Mountain forests | |
| Sipalawini savanna | |
Names in 
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