My photograph of a keel-billed toucan landing on a tree near Boca Tapada in northern Costa Rica was selected for The Guardian’s “Week in Wildlife” gallery, published July 3, 2026. The image was photographed near Boca Tapada in the San Carlos canton of Alajuela province during a wildlife photography workshop I led in late June 2026.
Keel-Billed Toucan Costa Rica: The Image
The keel-billed toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) is one of the most recognizable birds in the world. Its enormous multi-colored bill, mainly green with a red tip, orange sides, and accents of blue, can measure up to 15 centimeters and accounts for roughly one-third of the bird’s total body length of 42 to 55 centimeters.
As The Guardian’s caption notes, the bill looks heavy but is not. It is a spongy, hollow bone covered in keratin, making it surprisingly lightweight. Internal bony struts provide structural support without adding significant mass. The bill is used to reach and manipulate fruit, which makes up the majority of the species’ diet, and also plays a role in thermoregulation, display, and interactions with other birds.
The image captures the bird mid-landing, wings still extended, bill prominent against the forest. Keel-billed toucans move through the canopy by hopping from branch to branch. In flight, they alternate a few rapid wingbeats with a swooping glide and are sometimes described as looking like a “flying banana.” They are heard as often as they are seen: their call is a far-carrying, repetitive, frog-like croak that carries well through dense rainforest.
Boca Tapada: One of Costa Rica’s Premier Wildlife Photography Destinations
Boca Tapada is a small village in the northern lowlands of the San Carlos canton, Alajuela province, near the Nicaraguan border on the San Carlos River. It sits within and adjacent to the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, which protects more than 518 square kilometers of tropical rainforest, wetlands, lagoons, and riverine habitat.
More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the Boca Tapada area. The region is one of the few places in Costa Rica where the endangered Great Green Macaw can be regularly observed. Other species include king vultures, scarlet macaws, keel-billed toucans, agami herons, roseate spoonbills, jabirus, and a wide diversity of reptiles and amphibians. The area’s combination of primary forest, secondary forest, wetlands, and the San Carlos River creates exceptional habitat diversity, attracting both resident and migratory species.
For wildlife photographers, Boca Tapada offers access to species and behaviors that are difficult to find elsewhere in Central America, in a location that receives far fewer visitors than better-known destinations such as Monteverde or Arenal.
Keel-Billed Toucan Costa Rica: Natural History
The keel-billed toucan ranges from southern Mexico through Central America to northern Colombia and western Venezuela. It is the national bird of Belize. In Costa Rica it is a widespread and commonly observed species in lowland tropical forests on both the Caribbean and Pacific slopes.
Keel-billed toucans are social birds, often found in small groups. They nest in tree cavities, typically laying two to four eggs, with both parents sharing incubation and chick-rearing duties. They sleep in a distinctive posture: the bill is tucked back over the body and the tail folded forward over the head, allowing the bird to fit into small cavities.
Despite the bill’s size and visual prominence, it is not a weapon or a tool for excavating cavities. It is primarily a feeding instrument and a thermoregulatory structure. Blood flow to the bill can be increased or reduced to regulate body temperature, a function that has been compared to the role of large ears in elephants.
Tips for Photographing Toucans in the Rainforest
Listen before you look. Keel-billed toucans are heard well before they are seen. Their frog-like croaking call, repeated steadily from the canopy, is the most reliable way to locate them. Stop, listen, and scan the treetops in the direction of the call.
Look for fruiting trees. Toucans feed primarily on fruit and concentrate around trees in active production. Lodge staff and local guides at Boca Tapada know which trees are currently fruiting and where toucans are feeding regularly. Ask before you go out.
Use a long telephoto lens. Keel-billed toucans are canopy birds and are often well above eye level. A 500mm or 600mm lens gives you the reach to fill the frame from a safe, non-disruptive distance.
Photograph at landing and departure. The best behavioral moments come when the bird lands on a perch or launches into the air. Pre-focus on a bare branch or perch at the edge of the canopy and wait. Arriving birds will often pause briefly before moving into denser cover.
Work in early morning light. The first two hours after sunrise are when toucans are most active and the light is most directional. The multi-colored bill renders best in warm, angled light rather than the flat midday overhead light of the tropics.
Published in The Guardian Week in Wildlife: July 3, 2026
This keel-billed toucan image was photographed during the same Costa Rica workshop that produced my red-eyed tree frog photograph, published in The Guardian’s News Photos of the Day on June 30, 2026. Both images were made in the San Carlos canton of Alajuela province during my late June 2026 workshop in Boca Tapada.
Read about the red-eyed tree frog Guardian feature.
I lead small-group and private wildlife photography workshops in Costa Rica and across Florida. For workshop dates and availability, visit the workshops page or contact me directly.
View upcoming wildlife photography workshops.
Ronen Tivony is a wildlife photojournalist, Florida Master Naturalist, and photography workshop leader based in Florida. His images have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, National Geographic, BBC, TIME, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post, among others.
To book a workshop or inquire about private photography instruction, contact Ronen here or call/text 786-540-9194.