See some of the world’s most colorful species of birds with the most prominent and remarkable bills.

Yellow-Billed Stork (Mycteria ibis)

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The most notable feature of this bird is its long and yellow bill, hence the name. The Yellow-billed Stork is a large wading bird that occurs in Africa South of Sahara and in Madagascar. It grows up to 97 cm in length with an average body weight of 2.3 kg for males and 1.9 kg for females.

Channel-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus)

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Ariel Toucan or Ramphastos (Vitellinus ariel)

Channel-billed Toucans are birds which breed in Trinidad and in tropical South America as far south as southern Brazil and central Bolivia.

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Citron-Throated Toucan or Ramphastos (Vitellinus citreolaemus)

There are 3 subspecies of Channel-billed Toucan that all interbreed freely wherever they meet. These are the Yellow-ridged Toucan (R. vitellinus culminatus), the Citron-throated Toucan (R. vitellinus citreolaemus) and the Ariel Toucan (R. vitellinus ariel). Like other toucans, the Channel-billed is brightly marked and has a huge bill. It is typically 48 cm (19 in) long with a 9-14 cm (3½-5½ in) bill.

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Yellow-ridged Toucan or Ramphastos vitellinus culminatus

Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis)

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The massive bill of Saddle-billed Stork, which is its most prominent physical trait aside from its towering height, is red with a black band and a yellow frontal shield (the “saddle”).It is a large wading bird and a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from. It breeds in marshes and other wetlands in tropical lowland. It builds a large, deep stick nest in a tree, laying one or two white eggs. This is a huge bird that regularly attains a height of 150 cm or 5 feet) and a 270 cm or 9 feet wingspan. The male is larger and heavier than the female, with a range of 5.1-7.5 kg, the female is usually between 5 and 6.9 kg. It is probably the tallest, if not the heaviest, of the storks.

Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)

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The Toco Toucan is the largest and arguably the best known Toucan. It is found in semi-open habitats throughout a large part of central and eastern South America. It is a common attraction in zoos. The Toco Toucan is sometimes kept in captivity, but has a high fruit diet and is sensitive to hemochromatosis (an iron storage disease).

American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)

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One of the most beautiful birds in the world is the American Flamingo or Caribbean Flamingo, a large species of flamingo. The bill is pink and white with a restricted black tip and is one of its most notable features. The American Flamingo breeds in the Galapagos Islands, coastal Colombia and Venezuela and nearby islands, the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and in the northern Caribbean in the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba and Turks and Caicos. The American Flamingo is 120-140 cm in length; males weigh 2.8 kg and females 2.2 kg.

Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan

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Like other toucans, the Chestnut-mandibled is brightly marked and has a large bill. This species, also called Swainson’s Toucan which breeds from eastern Honduras to northern Colombia, is primarily an arboreal fruit-eater, but will also take insects, lizards, bird eggs, and other small prey. Flocks will follow Keel-billed Toucans to exploit their sources of food. The male is 56 cm long and weighs 750g (26.5 oz). The smaller female is typically 52 cm long and weighs 580g (20.5 oz).

Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)

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This magnificently elegant-looking bird known by many common name such as Great Hornbill, Greater Indian Hornbill, Great Pied Hornbill and Two-horned Calao, is the largest member of the hornbill family. Great Hornbill is distributed in the forests of India, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, Indonesia. Their impressive size and color have helped make them a part of local tribal cultures and rituals. It is long-lived with a lifespan approaching 50 years in captivity. The Great Hornbill is a large bird, 95-120 cm (38-47 in) long, with a 152 cm (60 in) wingspan and a weight of 2.15-4 kg (4.7-8.8 lbs). The most prominent feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill.

Red-Billed Toucan (Ramphastos tucanus)

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This toucan with a unique coloration of its bill found throughout the Amazon is trhe second largest of all toucans. The White-throated Toucan prefers tropical humid forest, but also occurs in woodland and locally in riverine forest within the Cerrado. Like other toucans, the White-throated Toucan is brightly marked and has a huge bill. It has a total length of 55-60 cm (21-24 in) and weighs 600 g (22 oz). The bill is typically 14-18 cm (5½-7 in) long.

Pink-Backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens)

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One of the most beautiful of all the pelicans is the Pink-backed Pelican, a resident breeder in Africa, southern Arabia and apparently extinct in Madagascar in swamps and shallow lakes. This is a small pelican, but the wingspan is still around 2.4 m or 7.9 ft with an average weight of 5.5 kg or 12 lbs.

Red-Breasted Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus)

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The Red-breasted Toucan is one of the smallest species of toucans. It is also known as the Green-billed Toucan and is found in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It is primarily found in Atlantic Forest. It weighs approximately 350 grams. Its beak is one of the shortest of Ramphastos toucans at only about 10 cm or 4 inches in length. In aviculture, their requirement of spacious cages, a high fruit diet and sensitivity to hemochromatosis (iron storage disease) make them difficult to maintain for novice keepers.

Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)

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One species of bird with the most remarkable bill is the Shoebill. It is also known as Whalehead, a very large stork-like bird that derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The adult is 115-150 cm (45-59 in) tall, 100-140 cm (40-55 in) long, 230-260 cm (91-103 in) across the wings and weighs 4 to 7 kg (8.8-15.5 lbs). It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.

The population is estimated at between 5,000 and 8,000 individuals, the majority of which live in Sudan. BirdLife International has classified it as Vulnerable with the main threats being habitat destruction, disturbance and hunting.

Many-Banded Aracari (Pteroglossus pluricinctus)

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Like other toucan, the Many-banded Aracari is brightly marked and has a colorful bill. The Many-banded Aracari is a species of bird found in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.  Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)

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This large water bird called the Australian Pelican which is widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea has the largest bill in the avian world. The record-sized of its enormous, pale and pinkish bill was 49 cm or 19.5 in long.  The Australian Pelican is a medium-sized pelican reaching 1.6 to 1.8 m (5.3-6 ft) long with a wingspan of 2.3 to 2.5 m (7.6-8.3 ft) and weighing 4 to 13 kg (9-29 lb).

Fiery-Billed Aracari (Pteroglossus frantzii)

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Like other toucans, the Fiery-billed Aracari is brightly marked and has a large bill. It breeds only on the Pacific slopes of southern Costa Rica and western Panama. The binomial commemorates the German naturalist Alexander von Frantzius. The adult is typically 43 cm long and weighs 250 g.

Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros)

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This odd-looking bird with large hornbill that lives in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and Java is the state bird of the Malaysian state of Sarawak and for some Dayak people; it represents Singalang Burong, their war god. The Rhinoceros Hornbill is one of the largest hornbills, adults being 110-127 cm (43-50 in) long and weigh 2-3 kg (4.4-6.6 lbs). It lives in captivity for up to 35 years. Like most other hornbills, the male has orange or red eyes, and the female has whitish eyes.

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

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Like all other flamingoes, the Greater Flamingo has a unique bill which is pink with a restricted black tip. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (coastal regions of Pakistan and India) and southern Europe. This is the largest species of flamingo, averaging 110-150 cm (43-60 in) tall and weighing 2-4 kg (4.4-8.8 lbs). The largest male flamingoes have been recorded at up to 187 cm (74 in) tall and 4.5 kg (10 lbs). Its legs are entirely pink.

Black-Mandibled Toucan (Ramphastos ambiguus)

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Like all other toucans, the most prominent feature of the Black-mandibled Toucan is its bill. The beak measures approximately 18 cm. It is a native of the north of South America. It occurs at altitudes of 100-2400 m. in humid mountain forests, with a preference for the canopy and edge. It feeds of fruits. It has a total length of 47-61 cm.

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