Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various South and Central American birds of the family Ramphastidae, having a very large bill and often brightly colored plumage, and feeding mainly on small fruits.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One of numerous species of picarian birds of the genus Rhamphastos or family Rhamphastidæ (which see for technical characters).
  • noun A small constellation of the southern hemisphere.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of fruit-eating birds of tropical America belonging to Ramphastos, Pteroglossus, and allied genera of the family Ramphastidæ. They have a very large, but light and thin, beak, often nearly as long as the body itself. Most of the species are brilliantly colored with red, yellow, white, and black in striking contrast.
  • noun (Astronom.) A modern constellation of the southern hemisphere.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any of various neotropical frugivorous birds from the family Ramphastidae, with a large colorful beak.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun brilliantly colored arboreal fruit-eating bird of tropical America having a very large thin-walled beak

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Portuguese tucano or Spanish tucán, both from Tupí tucano, type of bird.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French toucan or Spanish tucán, from Tupian tuka, tukan, tukana, which probably originated as an imitation of its cry.

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Examples

  • :) Really though, it’s the minimal text that does it for me with titles and captions like “Greetings From Jones Beach”, “TT toucan is crying” and my favourite “She’s Crafty.” blog comments powered by Disqus

    Breakfast Links: Solid State, Wikipedia & Ugly Outfits : #comments 2007

  • HANNA: It called a toucan, and when we were in Brazil last week, we saw thousands of these birds, just gorgeous birds.

    CNN Transcript May 8, 2001 2001

  • Well, a toucan is a very beautiful bird, but it's conversation is both loud and uninteresting, and it -- it's what they call a soft feeder.

    Taking on the World: Joseph and Stewart Alsop -- Guardians of the American Century 1996

  • The bird did, in fact, begin life as a pelican, but was changed by copywriter - and future thriller writer Dorothy L. Sayers - who realised "toucan" rhymed with more words.

    Mirror.co.uk - News 2009

  • I saw tree-nesting sloth, four types of monkeys, parrots, macaws, toucan birds, coatis, agoutis and anteaters within the first day of my visit.

    Devin Galaudet: Waiting to Dance in Costa Rica Devin Galaudet 2010

  • "Rio" is densely populated by antic creatures, among them a swarm of thieving marmosets, a toucan named Rafael and a villainous Aussie cockatoo, Nigel, who is voiced by Jemaine Clement, of "Flight of the Conchords," and who serves as a sort of bulldog to a smuggler with the black heart of a Bill Sykes.

    Animated 'Rio': A Witty Carnival of Brazil Nuts Joe Morgenstern 2011

  • Having both a wild and a domesticated parrot chained together makes for many funny moments, including a hand-gliding lesson that doesn't go so well, despite the coaching of Rafael the toucan George Lopez.

    Zorianna Kit: Movie Review: "Rio" Zorianna Kit 2011

  • Courtesy of Blue Sky Studios Pedro the cardinal, center, Rafael the toucan and Nico the canary with macaws Blu, left, and Jewel in 'Rio.'

    Animated 'Rio': A Witty Carnival of Brazil Nuts Joe Morgenstern 2011

  • Having both a wild and a domesticated parrot chained together makes for many funny moments, including a hand-gliding lesson that doesn't go so well, despite the coaching of Rafael the toucan George Lopez.

    Zorianna Kit: Movie Review: "Rio" Zorianna Kit 2011

  • I saw tree-nesting sloth, four types of monkeys, parrots, macaws, toucan birds, coatis, agoutis and anteaters within the first day of my visit.

    Devin Galaudet: Waiting to Dance in Costa Rica Devin Galaudet 2010

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