Toucan species makes colorful debut at Louisville Zoo

The Louisville Zoo is happy to announce its newest addition is a toco toucan named Lucy — marking the debut of a species never before seen at the Zoo. 

The nearly 7-year-old bird brings her colorful bill to the Louisville Zoo from the Saint Louis Zoo. Lucy can be seen in the newly renovated exhibit across from the jaguar habitat. She will share her new home in rotation with the Zoo’s hyacinth macaws.  

Toco toucans are the largest and best-known toucan species. They are native to open woodlands found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Uruguay. Toucans have a frog-like call that can be heard from half a mile away. Their bills make up half of their length, which can be nearly 25 inches long. It is believed that these large bills play an important role in courtship display and as a defensive weapon. They also aid in reaching hanging fruit and in obtaining eggs from other birds’ nests. Along with these many important roles, the bills are also thought to be a primary use for thermoregulation — a mechanism by which mammals maintain body temperature with tightly controlled self-regulation independent of external temperatures.

Photos: Kyle Shepherd, Louisville Zoo