Tou"can (t&oomac;"kăn; 277), n. [F.,
fr. Pg. tucano; from Brazilian name. ] 1.
(Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of fruit-eating birds
of tropical America belonging to Ramphastos, Pteroglossus,
and allied genera of the family Ramphastidæ. They have a very
large, but light and thin, beak, often nearly as long as the body itself.
Most of the species are brilliantly colored with red, yellow, white, and
black in striking contrast.
2. (Astronom.) A modern constellation of the
southern hemisphere.
Tou"can (t&oomac;"kăn; 277), n. [F.,
fr. Pg. tucano; from Brazilian name. ] 1.
(Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of fruit-eating birds
of tropical America belonging to Ramphastos, Pteroglossus,
and allied genera of the family Ramphastidæ. They have a very
large, but light and thin, beak, often nearly as long as the body itself.
Most of the species are brilliantly colored with red, yellow, white, and
black in striking contrast.
2. (Astronom.) A modern constellation of the
southern hemisphere.
