Category: Birds
Toucans are a familiar bird to many people because of their colorful, generously proportioned bills. There are about 40 different species of toucans and they can be found in Southern Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. The different species range in size from just a few ounces to well over a pound. Not only are their large but light bills effective for thermoregulation, they are helpful in feeding, allowing a toucan to reach more food from a stationary position. Toucans can make entertaining companions as long as they receive plenty of out of the cage time for exercise and interaction. Owners who give their toucans free reign in the house need to be aware that toucans will scoop almost any random tidbit for a snack, regardless of whether or not it’s edible – so don’t leave any screws, wires, etc. laying around. With their diet and other needs properly attended to, these charismatic birds can live for over 20 years.
Asleep at the wheel?
Can you imagine spending nearly all of your life in the air? The common swift doesn’t have to - it just does! From the day this bird learns to fly, it almost never touches the ground voluntarily - it eats, drinks, mates, and may even sleep while flying. While sleep walking can be problematic in humans, many birds have the ability to enter a state called unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, where one half of the brain sleeps as the other remains alert. This method of “sleeping with one eye open,” is a great way to avoid becoming another animal’s meal, and has led to the suspicion that these birds, who almost never willingly land, also sleep while in flight!
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
