Toucans are birds of the tropics, and they look it. They are exotic, striking and colorful. It is almost as if the Creator was in a circus mood when these birds were put together. I have enjoyed seeing these birds in the tropical rain forests of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. This is the land of the ancient Mayan kingdoms. I have placed the toucan beneath a frond of bay leaf palm, an important plant to the Maya for thatch and other uses. The vivid symmetry of the palm symbolizes the power and vitality of the remarkable Mayan culture. - Robert Bateman