Animal photography: Keel-billed Toucan from Costa Rica

When you are in Costa Rica, you can be sure some animal is always very close to you. Like most toucans, the keel-billed toucans are very social birds, rarely seen alone.

These unique colorful birds are found in tropical and sub-tropical rainforests from southern Mexico to Venezuela and Colombia. The keel billed toucan's bill is one of the most colourful beaks in the bird world. They feed mostly on fruits but are also known to eat insects, lizards, tree frogs and even eggs.

The species is not currently listed as endangered, but it is threatened by human activity. They are sometimes still hunted for their meat and feathers. At one time, they were very popular in the pet trade but it has since been revealed that their poor disposition actually makes them bad pets.
They’re especially valuable to Belize, where they are the national bird.

Fun Fact:
When eating the fruit, it uses its bill to dissect the fruit, and then tosses its head back to swallow the fruit whole.

Stay awesome and Steem on!

Lil Tammy

This is also my entry for today´s #animalphotography contest organized by @juliank and @photocontests.