Toucans are Neotropical birds in the family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the Toucan barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. Small to medium-sized non-passerines with enormous and colorfully patterned bills, toucans have become familiar to many through their frequent appearance in popular culture and marketing. They eat a great deal of fruit, but they also supplement this diet with large amounts of animal material. The distinctive bill, with nostrils atop the very base, serves with its large radiative surface to shed excess heat for the many species that spend much time in the upper forest canopy exposed to the hot tropical sun.

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