Toucans are members of the family
Ramphastidae of
near passerine birds from the
Neotropics. The Ramphastidae family is most closely related to the
American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful
bills. The family includes five
genera and about forty different
species. The name of this bird group is derived from the
Tupi word
tukana, via
Portuguese. The family includes toucans,
aracaris and toucanets; more distant relatives include various families of barbets and
woodpeckers in the suborder
Pici.