Friday, April 9, 2010

Costa Rica Bird...Part 4

My entry for Bird Photography Weekly #85 Please click on my link ot see more.
I was lucky to see three different toucans while in Costa Rica. This Keel Billed Toucan showed up in a tree while I was looking at a red Summer Tanager. The Keel Billed Toucan ranges in length from 17-22 inches. Their colorful bill averages 5-6 inches of its length. Wikipedia states that the bill is large and cumbersome but is actually spongy hollow bone covered in a keratin a very light and hard protein. They mainly eat fruit, but will also take insects, small eggs and reptiles. I think they are cool cartoonish looking birds.




One the photo below You can compare the Collared Aracari to the Keel Billed Toucan

The main difference between the aracaris and the toucans are the tails. The Collared Aracaris have a sharp and pointed tail. The beaks are about 4 inches long.



Thanks for stopping by my blog and to check out more bird and critters visit the Friday Ark

also
this also my entry for Camera Critters visit Misty dawn's Camera Critters for some cute critters.

39 comments:

  1. That is a beautiful bird! Super photos too!!

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  2. So beautiful! Love those colours.

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  3. What a massive bill.It seems it must be hard to fly with that 'thing' in front of you. :-) I do love the bright color.
    Blessings,Ruth

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  4. Eileen: What neat colors on that bird, oh so colorful.

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  5. Wow!! Such a handsome and colourful bird. I would like to be a bird too.

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  6. Love all the color.. Have a great weekend

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  7. Bet you cannot miss the big bill on this beauty, what lovely colours it is, and you got it very well! Have a fun weekend~

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  8. so cool! His bill blends right in with that tree!

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  9. Your vacation is a paradise! Look at the beautiful and exotic birds! what a treat!

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  10. Beautiful series! The colors are fantastic. They do look very cartoonish.

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  11. They are such unusual looking birds and so wonderfully colourful!

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  12. Nice photos Eileen as usual. The beak camouflaged with the leaves,I like the colors!

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  13. It must be an odd life living with two canoes growing out of your face. Nice pics of a great looking bird.

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  14. You gotta love those tropical birds huh Eileen? That Keel-billed Toucan looks like it would be loads of fun to watch. Seeing those brilliant colors makes me want to eat some fruit myself!

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  15. These would have been worth the trip to me. :)
    Great shots!
    I love the green billed one. He sure looks good in his surroundings.
    Carletta’s Captures.

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  16. Wow, that's a beautiful bird. Very colorful. Perfect photo indeed.

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  17. I am going to have to go to Costa Rica - beautiful pictures.

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  18. Those are so cool! I love their big beaks.

    We have green drara parrots here (they somehow got here from India, either as escaped bets or a weird migratory blip, no one knows for sure, either way the population's exploded since they have no natural enemies here). I love seeing a group of them fly by my kitchen window.

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  19. Such beautiful birds. Great shots!

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  20. Wow, you are sure making me want to scrape up my pennies and head back to Costa Rica! Fantastic pictures!

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  21. What a great trip, and great birds, you had. I see you picked my fav photo for the banner. Love those bright feathers.

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  22. They are gorgeous!
    How beautiful and colourful - it must be great to see them in the wild!

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  23. Beautiful birds and it must have been really good to see them flying around like that.

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  24. The Keel Billed Toucan is such a beautiful bird - all those wonderful colours. What a gorgeous place to visit.

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  25. Incredible birds - great captures. Makes me want to go to Costa Rica!

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  26. beautiful birds,love its color.,and the beek,gorgeous

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  27. Ah! I wish I were there! What great birds. Someday I'll visit there. We started talking about going to Costa Rica just last week and decided it would be more frugal to explore the US first. So we're going to the Everglades! But your photos make me move Costa Rica back to the top of my "some day" list.
    -kay

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  28. Awesome shots of the Toucans/Aracaris, Eileen! I am so envious!

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  29. They are so funny and colourful birds. The look bill heavy. Hoe exciting to see them in the wild.

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  30. These birds are just so fancy looking and colorful! They are beautiful!

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  31. Both are really lovely birds! Of course I think of Froot Loops when I see them :)

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  32. That Keel-billed is really cool Eileen. You did well to capture a picture because it is so beautifully camouflaged against the leaves and sunlight.

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  33. must be hard to fly with that beak.

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  34. Truely exotic. Thanks for sharing.

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  35. What beautiful birds. So colorful!

    Thank you for stopping by AtticMag and commenting on my garden.

    Allison

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  36. That green beak is something else! Glad you were able to get such wonderful photos.

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  37. I saw so many toucans while in Costa Rica! They would steal food off the buffet tables by the pool each morning...wild...I think NOT!

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  38. I must go see these cool birds sometime! What a wonderful trip this must have been!

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