Keel Billed Toucan Grecia Costa Rica |

Ryan Biddulph April 16, 2024 travel posts 🕑 2 minutes read

Keel billed toucan, Grecia, Costa Rica

2 keel billed toucans primped and preened their way through the backyard earlier today.

As flashy as Liberace and as subtle as a massive heart attack, the unmistakable call of these gaudy birds drew me to the large tree behind the house.

The even more unmistakable appearance of their jumbo-sized bills, not unlike the work of Jackson Pollack, compelled me to sprint for the camera.

Make no mistake about it, guys; I waited a month and a day to capture these impossibly adorned beings. We heard and saw them on day #1 in Costa Rica just over a month ago but the perfect picture storm had previously not materialized. Getting a classic shot is no small task. Take it from a 13 year digital nomad.

I heard their calls daily. But most hid deep in the forest canopy. None are camera shy but perhaps the sweetest fruits are not so much low hanging but close to the trunk.

Some revealed themselves for a few seconds before disappearing into the lush mountains, usually migrating north toward Poas as the evening set in. Miles of wilderness sit just a kilometer or two north of our current location.

This is not necessarily a friendly bird gracing Fruit Loops cereal boxes around the globe. Fruit eaters primarily, the keel billed will consume insects, lizards, hatchlings and even small birds. Prey species and bigger birdies with eggs or little ones at risk routinely mob the predators, dive-bombing and generally dogging these beleaguered birdies, sending them flying through the area quickly.

I could barely get a beat on the colorful kings of this sky in this region before most exited stage left, 2 to 3 smaller birds nipping at their blue heels, escorting them out of the neighborhood, and not politely, either.

Would you graciously welcome someone who ate your kids?

I didn’t think so.

Undeterred, I remained steadfast daily, before sundown, when the showy toucans typically coasted through the neighborhood.

Picture images of RB jogging around the property, down the street and into the thick forest in flip flops, camera in hand, only to be thwarted at every opportunity.

But today marked the classic money shot. The universe surrendered.

Keel billed toucan, Grecia, Costa Rica

Brilliant late day sun illumined these tremendous keel billed toucans. One patiently alighted and observed while the performer went through his exaggerated dance, high stylin’ and profilin’ for the camera (see video below).

Note the rainbow bill with vertical markings; as if a little kid tried to sew the beak closed with crude stitches.

The red tail feather flashes simply add to the flair of this magnificent inhabitant of the tropics, stretching from Mexico to Ecuador.

I recorded a short video.

Watch and enjoy; it’s a treat:

Keel Billed Toucans Grecia Costa Rica

Keel Billed Toucan Grecia Costa Rica

Related Posts