Toucan

There are many different types of toucan , they vary in size from 7 inches to over 2 ft. They have short thick necks and are distinguished by their lightweight colorful bills. The color of the bill can be black , blue , brown , green , red , white , yellow or a combination of colors. Toucans have a narrow feather like tongue , they can be very noisy birds with their calls sounding harsh and raspy.


Toucans are found in South and Central America in the canopy layer of the rain forest. The bill of the toucan is sharp and has saw like edges. This helps to crush down the different fruits and berries that the toucan eats. They also eat small birds and lizards.

Toucans nest in holes in trees. They normally live in pairs or in small flocks. White glossy eggs are laid once a year and when the chicks are born they have no down to cover them.

Swallows

Swallows are small birds with dark glossy-blue backs , red throats , pale underparts and long tail feathers. They are very agile in the air and spend most of their time flying. Many pairs breed in the Northern Hemisphere and then fly south for the winter. Swallow numbers have gone down in England in the last 30 years. The species is amber due to a population decline across Europe.

Swallows are found in areas where there is a good supply of insects. They like open pasture with access to water and farm buildings. Large reed-beds in  late summer and early autumn are a good place to look for pre-migration roosts

They flock in large numbers to fly to Africa, south of the Sahara in September. They return to the United Kingdom in early April.