Eco Mural 10: Channel-Billed Toucan
Location: Green Line Cafe Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Artist: Designed, illustrated, and painted by Olivia Losee-Unger
A Dazzling Icon of South and Central America
Of all the wonderful creatures that inhabit the Amazon rainforest, one of the most distinct and well-known is the toucan. The most vulnerable toucan species is called the Channel-Billed, and Hagopian Arts is excited to shine a light on this lesser-known tropical bird. The Channel-Billed Toucan can be identified by the soft grooves that run down the sides of its iconic beak and its dazzling black, red, and orange plumage. Toucans like this one range from Central America all the way to northern Argentina, with their concentration being highest in the humid lowland forests of Bolivia.
Toucans are most recognizable for their brightly colored, extra-large beaks. The toucan has the largest beak to body ratio of any bird on earth, with their bills often accounting for one-third of their total length! Each of the 35 species of toucan has a specially adapted beak, often brightly colored and patterned. Scientists continue to debate on the purpose of the flashy patterning, with theories ranging from identifying mates to warding off predators. Quite a bit is known, however, about the structure of their iconic mouthpieces. Despite their large size and unwieldy appearance, toucan beaks are incredibly light. They are constructed out of bone covered in keratin, the same substance that makes up our fingernails and hair. Their large beaks are useful in tropical climates where food comes in many forms and is often hotly competed for: toucans live off of a primarily fructivorous diet, using their beaks to strip, peel, and tear at the tough fruits and nuts that can be found in the Amazon. Their beaks make reaching unsteady branches and crannies amongst dense foliage a breeze, and are great for snapping up the occasional lizard or smaller bird. Like other fructivorous tropical animals, toucans play an important role in the Amazon’s complex ecological chain by scattering seeds from the fruit they eat, ensuring diversity amongst plants and an even distribution of flora in their habitats.
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Toucans are highly social birds, living in groups of about 20 individuals. They have short wingspans, allowing for maneuverability through the forest but preventing long flights; as a result, toucans don’t migrate, often living in the same geographic area for their entire lives. Unfortunately, this makes them particularly vulnerable to sudden habitat and climate shifts brought on by human interference.
​The Most Vulnerable Toucan Species
Like most rainforest-dwellers across the world, toucans are in decline. Channel-Billed Toucans are reported to be in the most peril out of all toucan species: according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Channel-Billed Toucan population has dropped by 30% since 2002. The major factors for their decline are human encroachment, deforestation, environmental degradation, and groundwater pollution.
The Amazon rainforest is the most biodiverse and species-rich biome on earth and serves as one of the largest oxygen producers on the planet. The richness of its inhabitants and the density of forest, unfortunately, makes it a target for poachers, loggers, and ranchers. Deforestation is the single largest threat to the Amazon currently, with a dramatic example of accelerating forest degradation being the extensive human-induced fires that occurred over the course of 2019. These recent fires were a direct result of Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro loosening effective environmental regulations. It is estimated that 80% of ongoing deforestation in the Amazon is directly tied to logging and scorched-earth burning at the hands of ranchers clearing land for their cattle.
Catastrophic Decline in the Amazon
​The Amazon is an incredibly complex ecosystem that is self-sustaining. The high concentration of plant life generates its own weather system, producing the high humidity the forest is named for. The rainforest also creates fresh water for the majority of Central and South America, maintains the most biodiverse region in the world, and regulates temperature across South America. As tree cover shrinks and biodiversity is lost, a phenomenon occurs called “savanization” or desertification. This occurs when the forest loses mass and by extension its ability to generate its own rainfall, starving its flora of the necessary water and humidity to maintain itself and causing a domino effect of drying and dying. Scientists warn that if the Amazon rainforest is degraded much further, it will be a catastrophic event in our fight against climate change, removing any possibility of slowing devastating temperature changes and glacier melt.
Toucans exist in the most complicated and intricate environments in the world. It is impossible to preserve them without preserving their labyrinth habitat. The Amazon is essential not only to South American biodiversity and environmental health but to the survival of people across the world. The rainforest’s unparalleled biodiversity has so much to offer humanity, from unlimited scientific information on its wildlife and their complex relationships to the many medicines that are derived from its unique flora and fauna. The Amazon’s role in curbing greenhouse gasses and regulating our atmosphere is a linchpin in our multifaceted effort to preserve the Earth. This is one of the most important battles in our fight against climate change and our effort to preserve our biodiversity.
“I do have hope. Nature is enormously resilient, humans are vastly intelligent, the energy and enthusiasm that can be kindled among young people seems without limit, and the human spirit is indomitable. But if we want life, we will have to stop depending on someone else to save the world. It is up to us-you and me, all of us.”
-Jane Goodall
About the Eco Mural and Wild Medicine Projects
The Eco Mural Project by Hagopian Arts is an ongoing series of public art installations designed to educate and inspire action on ecological and cultural issues. Each mural is a meticulously detailed, one-of-a-kind piece, blending vibrant artistry with rigorous research. These murals transport viewers into immersive natural environments, revitalizing urban spaces while addressing pressing concerns about environmental degradation.
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Within this initiative, the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project focuses specifically on the cultural heritage of medicinal plants. Through detailed depictions and thoughtful programming, the series highlights the historical, cultural, and healing significance of plants, fostering a deeper connection between individuals and the natural world.
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The Eco Mural Project is rooted in the belief that reconnecting communities with nature can profoundly impact mental and physical health. These murals showcase the beauty of local flora and fauna, enlivening public spaces and encouraging residents to see their environment in a new light. This engagement inspires a sense of pride, belonging, and collective responsibility for the natural world. To enhance accessibility, each mural includes a scannable QR code linking viewers to a webpage that provides detailed information about the artwork, the plants featured, and their historical and cultural significance. These pages also honor Indigenous histories by sharing the uses, markers, and cultural associations of the depicted flora and fauna.
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Community-Driven Programming and Collaborations
Hagopian Arts amplifies the impact of its murals through live events, educational initiatives, and community partnerships that engage people across generations and cultures.
Hagopian Arts transforms urban landscapes through art that bridges the worlds of ecology, education, and cultural heritage. Each mural is a portal into the hidden wonders of the natural world. By blending intricate artistry with educational outreach, Hagopian Arts inspires communities to rediscover the beauty and importance of the environment they call home.
Honoring Indigenous Histories and Local Ecosystems
A standout project in the Wild Medicine Series is Eco Mural 21 at Bartram’s Garden, a series of freestanding mini murals showcasing medicinal plants historically used by the Lenni Lenape people. Designed with community input, the murals feature local flora, Lenape beadwork patterns, and depictions of children on the riverbank where passionflowers grow.
Hagopian Arts conducted extensive research into Bartram’s Garden’s historical catalog to honor the Lenape people’s contributions and highlight the cultural significance of the plants. At the unveiling event on September 15th, Melaney Gilchrist, a West Philadelphia herbalist, and mindfulness yoga practitioner Nakesha Moore of Breathe Moore led workshops for community families. These sessions explored the medicinal properties of the plants while fostering connections between art, history, and wellness practices.
Through its murals and programming, Hagopian Arts creates vibrant spaces for education, inspiration, and dialogue. The Eco Mural Project bridges art and environmental advocacy, encouraging communities to cherish their local ecosystems and honor the cultural and historical ties that bind them to the natural world.
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Wild Medicine: A Multidimensional Creative Experience
This live event combined public art, botanical installations, body-painted models, and performance art to merge the worlds of creativity and herbal wisdom. Hosted in collaboration with women artists, herbalists, and grassroots organizers, the event invited participants to explore the healing connections between art and nature.
Ancient Ancestral Connections
Eco Mural 18: Women’s Wild Medicine celebrates the ancestral bond between women and medicinal plants, featuring women from diverse cultural backgrounds alongside flora from their heritage. Installed at Penn OB/GYN, the mural also serves as a pilot for the Women’s Wild Medicine Initiative, a community-driven effort that highlights the healing power of native plants and their historical ties to women.
Wild Medicine Coloring Journal and Foraging Guide
In collaboration with educator and illustrator Katie Lillard, Hagopian Arts produced the Wild Medicine Journal and Coloring Illustration Booklet, inspired by the two murals created for Wild Medicine Eco Mural 15: Mugwort, Mullein, and Mallow. The booklet features twenty medicinal plants rendered in Hagopian Arts’ signature style, blending pattern, naturalism, and realism.
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Hagopian Arts distributed the journal and accompanying foraging guides to schools and community organizations to introduce youth aged 3-18 to ecological awareness in both traditional and nontraditional learning settings. These resources were also shared during a mural unveiling, empowering community members to safely connect with wild plants and explore their uses in daily life.
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Highlighting Interconnectivity: Eco Mural 20
As part of the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project, Hagopian Arts created Eco Mural 20: Artelo to celebrate the interdependent relationships between plants, pollinators, and human communities. This mural was a collaborative effort with Square Roots Collective and 14 other public artists contributing uniquely to the Artelo hotel project. While each artist brought a distinct vision to the hotel’s art-filled rooms, Hagopian Arts focused on the ecological and cultural themes central to the Wild Medicine Eco Mural Project.
To expand its reach, Hagopian Arts hosted interactive workshops that engaged community members in the creative process: At Hyacinth Montessori School in West Philadelphia, children aged 6–12 participated in a painting workshop, learning about local flora and pollinators while contributing sections to the mural. This activity incorporated yoga and mindfulness practices led by Breathe Moore, blending creativity and well-being.
At John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, community members painted portions of the mural while learning about the featured species and their roles in local ecosystems.
In September 2024, Hagopian Arts partnered with the Kennett Trails Alliance and Artelo for a public mural painting event during the Hispanic Heritage Festival in Kennett Square. Using a paint-by-number system and hand-mixed colors, participants painted sections inspired by the flora, fauna, and geometric patterns of Eco Mural 20. The mural, once finalized by Hagopian Arts, will be installed in Kennett Square in 2025, further expanding its impact and reach.
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