大嘴鸟即鵎鵼科鸟类，外型虽然与产于亚洲的犀鸟十分相似，但在动物分类学上却与啄木鸟比较接近，与啄木鸟一样脚爪都有四趾而且都是两趾在前两趾在后，属于䴕形目。

虽然大嘴鸟在原栖地尚未濒临绝种，但是其中由于国际性宠物贸易使牠们面临潜在威胁，故大部份品种都被列华盛顿公约附录二的保育类。

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.