This is Bird Note.

In the Amazon, heat and humidity virtually smother you.

Although a cacophony of bird calls surrounds you, it's hard to see even a single bird.

Then, one call emanating from a cathedral of vegetation catches your ear.

Could this piercing and cheerful yelp yelp be the same sound you remember from a Saturday morning

in your childhood? It's the call of a toucan. The tropical icon and inspiration for toucan Sam,

that colorful spokesbird for Fruit Loops cereal.

Characterized by massive yet surprisingly light bills,

the 41 species in the Tucan family are found only in Central and South America.

The species we are hearing now is a Cuvier's toucan.

It has a jet black body and a spotless white bib.

Its black bill, nearly as long as its body, is rimmed with vivid yellow and baby blue.

That the toucan hops through the trees as it forages for

fruit adds to its comical demeanor. But don't expect this bird to lead you to a bounty of

rainbow-colored sugar puffs with its nose. Tucans can't smell. So why does Tucan Sam, or any other

two-can, have such a large bill?

Turns out that they can conserve heat or release it with those giant beaks.

Learn more on our website, birdnote.org.

I'm Mary McCann.