A toucan is a bird of the American tropics — the rainforests of Central and South America — famous for a beak that looks far too big for its body. The beak is brightly coloured, often orange, yellow, red and black together, and the body feathers are usually black with a bright patch at the throat. The surprising part is that the beak is light: it is mostly hollow inside with thin struts of bone, so the bird is not carrying the weight you would expect. It uses it to reach fruit on branches too thin to stand on, and to shed body heat, like a radiator.

Toucans live in flocks, nest in holes in trees, and are noisy. Because the shape is so recognisable, the toucan is a favourite in cartoons, cereal advertising, and zoo posters — many people can picture one who have never seen the bird's name written.

In British English there is also a *toucan crossing*, a road crossing that both people and cyclists may use — the name is a pun, because "two can" cross. That is a small joke worth knowing if you read British road signs.