Inside the bill is a flat tongue of the same length as the bill that helps toucans to catch insects, frogs, and reptiles. Toucans use their bills to pluck and peel fruit which is their main food source. The cute part is that they tuck their bills under their feathers to keep them warm when they sleep. Their bill is about 19 centimeters long which is a third of the bird’s total size, yet the bill is very light. In the family, Toco Toucan is the largest of them all. The noticeable thing about toucans is their brightly marked and large colorful bills. When it comes to birds with large bills, toucan is always on the list. Shoebills make a resounding clapping noise with their bill to attract a mate, and scare the hell out of some small creatures. That usually happens during breeding season when they need to communicate with each other. But when they do make noise, it sounds like a machine gun it could totally freak you out. The shoebill then clamps down again with its knife-edged bill and removes its prey’s head before swallowing the rest.Īnother interesting thing about this bird is that it is normally silent for the fact that they are solitary. After having the prey’s body into its beak, the shoebill then opens its bill just enough for its victim to poke its head out. The bill of shoebill is a lethal tool that can do harsh things to its prey. This tall bird lives in freshwater swamps of central tropical Africa from southern Sudan to eastern Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. As you can see, the bill of this bird almost looks like a large shoe in front of its face. Looking fierce and angry all the time, shoebills are one interesting bird to look at. You can find them in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and the declines in population are mostly in Cambodia.įun Fact: Hornbills are the only birds with eyelashes.

Just like most birds, the numbers of these birds have gone down due to habitat loss and hunting in some areas. Now, great hornbills are evaluated as vulnerable due to the decline of their population. The birds then use their bills to tear up the bark and examine the prey before catching, tossing in the air, and swallowing it. Usually, they forage along branches and move by hopping and looking for insects, nestling birds, and small lizards. Apart from fruits, great hornbills also feed on small mammals, birds, small reptiles, and insects. These birds feed on many types of fruit, but figs are their important food source. The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill. Great hornbill is the largest member of the Indian subcontinent, and of course, they have impressive bills as well as colors. Hornbill is a large bird family with many members, and most of them have very interesting bills.

Shoebill noise