Do any zoos have great toucan collections and exhibits?

DavidBrown

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Toucans seem to be one of the major symbols of rain forests in zoos and pop up in rain forest exhibits all over the planet. Toco toucans and keel-billed toucans seem especially prevalent in U.S. zoos.

Most zoos seem to feature one species of toucan in exhibits with little interpretation of the birds. I recently discovered that there are 40 species of toucans and that their bills likely have thermoregulatory properties, among other uses like being a feeding utensil and weapon.

Are there any zoos out there with multiple toucan species? Does anybody know how many species of toucans in captivity?

Where is your favorite toucan exhibit and what makes it so?
 
Sadly, and like many other bird groups, there are no toucans in Australasia. Sob.

Jurong (Singapore) has a few species (I saw three, suspect they have more though). From my visits of European zoos they are not that common there either, only six (of ~35) displayed them (and only ever one species), although I did see five species there. Zootierliste suggests 19 toucan taxa (I think includes several subspecies), some of which appear to be widely held and some rather rare.
 
DavidBrown said:
Are there any zoos out there with multiple toucan species?
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The Dallas World Aquarium has probably the world's biggest collection of toucans and aracaris, though not every species they hold is on public display. It's the only collection where I've seen the Fiery-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii), and the Lettered Aracari (P. inscriptus humboldti ).
 
It's also worth mentioning that the bird park in Villars les Dombes, France, has a Toucan House - or, as they more poetically term it, "La Forêt Tropicale des Toucans". They hold 8 forms of toucan & aracari.
 
Zoo Santo Inacio has the best collection in Portugal, 4 , with Toco Toucan, Swainson's Toucan, Channel-Billed Toucan and Black Necked Aracari.
They live in a Small Rainforest complex.

Lagos has the second, 3 , with Toco Toucan, Swainson's Toucan and Red-Billed Toucan.
 
I believe DWA holds all or nearly all toucan species and most of the subspecies.
 
Emerald Forest also should have a VERY large toucan and aracari-collection with very good breeding-results among them even several world-first breedings !
 
Riozoo in Rio de Janiero, brazil, has a very good collection of toucans. the gallery has variuos pictures of them. Various species breed there, which is not surprising.
 
I visited the Dallas World Aquarium a few weeks ago (I had previously visited there once before in 2009) and the toucan collection is very impressive! They are featured in the Orinoco Rainforest section of the facility, which is an entirely indoor but immersive environment. Eight exhibits contain members of the family; some of the exhibits are spacious while others are very small. Typically they share their exhibits with a wide variety of other species; for example, plate-billed mountain toucans share their exhibit with golden lion tamarins and white winged trumpeters. Most of the signage is on touchscreens beside each exhibit, while visitors also receive a guidebook that lists selective species; since this is a costly color-pictured publication it is fair to presume that it may be slightly out-of-date so I will note which species are listed only in the guidebook. Here is a list of the species that were identified:

Ariel toucan
Citron-throated toucan (only in guidebook)
Keel-billed toucan
Plate-billed mountain toucan
Red-breasted toucan
Swainson's toucan
Toco toucan

Crimson-rumped toucanet
Emerald toucanet
Guianan toucanet
Saffron toucanet

Collared aracari
Curl-crested aracari
Fiery-billed aracari
Green aracari
Ivory-billed aracari
Lettered aracari
Many-banded aracari (only in guidebook, but I definitely saw one)
Pale-mandibled aracari
 
geomorph said:
I visited the Dallas World Aquarium a few weeks ago (I had previously visited there once before in 2009) and the toucan collection is very impressive! They are featured in the Orinoco Rainforest section of the facility, which is an entirely indoor but immersive environment. Eight exhibits contain members of the family; some of the exhibits are spacious while others are very small. Typically they share their exhibits with a wide variety of other species; for example, plate-billed mountain toucans share their exhibit with golden lion tamarins and white winged trumpeters. Most of the signage is on touchscreens beside each exhibit, while visitors also receive a guidebook that lists selective species; since this is a costly color-pictured publication it is fair to presume that it may be slightly out-of-date so I will note which species are listed only in the guidebook. Here is a list of the species that were identified:

Ariel toucan
Citron-throated toucan (only in guidebook)
Keel-billed toucan
Plate-billed mountain toucan
Red-breasted toucan
Swainson's toucan
Toco toucan

Crimson-rumped toucanet
Emerald toucanet
Guianan toucanet
Saffron toucanet

Collared aracari
Curl-crested aracari
Fiery-billed aracari
Green aracari
Ivory-billed aracari
Lettered aracari
Many-banded aracari (only in guidebook, but I definitely saw one)
Pale-mandibled aracari
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Does this mean a geomorph review of DWA is in the works? (Please, oh please?)
 
zooboy28 said:
Sadly, and like many other bird groups, there are no toucans in Australasia. Sob.
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Yes, that's pretty lame, given that they are readily available as pets in their home range.

When I worked in the Caribbean, one of my co-workers had a pet toucan that he used to 'mouth feed'.
 
Ituri, yes I will post a review of Dallas World Aquarium eventually! I also visited Dallas Zoo, Children's Aquarium in Fair Park, and SeaLife Grapevine while in Dallas, and I'll post reviews of those too! First I need to edit all my pictures, an immense task!
 
geomorph said:
Ituri, yes I will post a review of Dallas World Aquarium eventually! I also visited Dallas Zoo, Children's Aquarium in Fair Park, and SeaLife Grapevine while in Dallas, and I'll post reviews of those too! First I need to edit all my pictures, an immense task!
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Great to hear. I'll be waiting (im)patiently.
 
oasi di sant'alessio (near Pavia, Italy), have three species:
toco, keel-billed and swainson's toucan
 
Toucans definitely aren't rare in zoos in Europe or North America, but most only have a single species, and typically one of the 6 most widely kept; keel-billed toucan, channel-billed toucan, white-throated toucan, toco toucan, green aracari and black-necked aracari.

I was sure Dalla World Aquarium had the largest collection until recently when I was informed that Emerald Forest takes visitors and isn't just a closed breeding facility. I'm quite sure DWA and Emerald Forest take the first two places, but not sure which of these is in the lead. Neither has anywhere near all toucan species, but they do have most species presently kept in captivity.

Unfortunately, my three favorite toucan genera are rare in zoos and most species aren't kept at all: Andigena, Aulacorhynchus and Selenidera.
 
condor said:
I'm quite sure DWA and Emerald Forest take the first two places, but not sure which of these is in the lead. Neither has anywhere near all toucan species, but they do have most species presently kept in captivity.
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I haven't visited Emerald Forest since 2010, but my opinion would be that EF has a greater number of individual birds, but DWA has the greater number of species. When I visited, the highlight of EF's collection was the Golden-collared Toucanet (Selenidera reinwardtii), which even DWA didn't hold at that time [not sure what the present situation is].
 
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