Chico takes centre stage
Saturday 1 May 2004
Meet our latest recruit to the bird display here at Whipsnade - Chico the Toco Toucan
During the show, Chico flies to the centre of the demonstration area, before hopping on branches at the arena edge finding hidden food, meaning visitors to the park can get a close up view of this beautiful bird.
The Toco is the largest of the toucan family with a large lightweight beak and a body length of about 25 inches. Chico's beak is a combination of bright colours including yellow, red and orange.
Although Chico's beak is very large, it is surprisingly light as it made of a honeycomb-like structure. The beak has a long narrow tongue which is used for eating small fruit and sometimes insects. In the wild Chico would feed directly from the trees hopping from branch to branch, this means that he is quite a poor flyer.
Toco Toucans live in the rain forests of Brazil, northern Argentina and Guiana.
