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# toucan

«toucan» in Mova's school dictionary: **a tropical bird from Central and South America with black…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a toucan, toucans)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A toucan is a tropical bird from Central and South America with black feathers and a huge, brightly coloured beak. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#m1)

2) (UK) A toucan crossing is a road crossing with lights that both pedestrians and cyclists can use («two can» cross). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons about rainforests and adaptations, the toucan's big beak is light because it is hollow inside; it helps the bird reach fruit on thin branches and lose heat to keep cool. Toucans spread seeds through the forest. In UK road safety lessons, a toucan crossing lets bikes and people cross together. Phrases: toco toucan, keel-billed toucan, toucan crossing.

### examples

- The toucan's beak is bright orange and very big. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x1)
- A toucan uses its beak to pick fruit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x2)
- Toucans live in the rainforests of South America. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x3)
- Although it looks heavy, a toucan's beak is light and hollow. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x4)
- The toucan threw a berry up and caught it in its beak. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x5)
- Toucans sleep with their beaks tucked under their wings. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x6)
- We crossed the road on our bikes at the toucan crossing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x7)
- I painted a toucan with a rainbow beak. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/#x8)

### note

Countable: a toucan, toucans. Pronounced «TOO-kan». Do not confuse with the hornbill of Africa and Asia, which looks similar but is not related. The UK «toucan crossing» is a pun on «two can» (people and bikes), not about birds.

### In the corpora

- [Parrots and toucans have two toes pointing forward and two pointing back, while most perching birds have three forward and one back.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/93-the-aviary-the-walk-through-tropical-house/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «toucan» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/toucan/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.