Turaco
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The turacos, plantain eaters and go-away birds make up the bird family Musophagidae (literally banana-eaters). In southern Africa both turacos and go-away birds are commonly known as louries. Traditionally, this group has been placed in the cuckoo order Cuculiformes, but Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy raises this group to a full order Musophagiformes.
Turacos are medium sized arboreal birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, living in forests, woodland and savanna. Their flight is weak, but they run quickly through the tree canopy. They feed mostly on fruits and to a lesser extent on leaves, buds, and flowers, occasionally taking small insects, snails, and slugs.
The turacos and plantain eaters are brightly coloured birds, usually blue, green or purple. The green color comes from turacoverdin, the only true green pigment in birds. (Other "greens" in bird colors result from a yellow pigment such as lypochrome combined with the prismatic blue physical structure of the feather itself.) Their wings contain a red pigment turacin. Both pigments are unique to this group. The Go-away-birds are mainly grey and white.
The Musophagidae build large stick nests in trees, and lay 2 or 3 eggs.
[edit] Species
- Genus Tauraco
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- Green Turaco, Tauraco persa
- Livingstone's Turaco, Tauraco livingstonii
- Schalow's Turaco, Tauraco schalowi
- Knysna Turaco, Tauraco corythaix
- Black-billed Turaco, Tauraco schuettii
- White-crested Turaco, Tauraco leucolophus
- Fischer's Turaco, Tauraco fischeri
- Yellow-billed Turaco, Tauraco macrorhynchus
- Bannerman's Turaco, Tauraco bannermani
- Red-crested Turaco, Tauraco erythrolophus
- Hartlaub's Turaco, Tauraco hartlaubi
- White-cheeked Turaco, Tauraco leucotis
- Prince Ruspoli's Turaco, Tauraco ruspolii
- Purple-crested Turaco, Tauraco porphyreolophus
- Genus Ruwenzorornis
- Ruwenzori Turaco, Ruwenzorornis johnstoni
- Genus Musophaga
- Violet Turaco, Musophaga violacea
- Ross' Turaco, Musophaga rossae
- Genus Corythaixoides
- Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides personatus
- Gray Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides concolor
- White-bellied Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides leucogaster
- Genus Crinifer
- Western Grey Plantain-eater, Crinifer piscator
- Eastern Grey Plantain-eater Crinifer zonurus
- Genus Corythaeola
- Great Blue Turaco, Corythaeola cristata
[edit] image gallery
 Hartlaub's Turaco |
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 Fischer's Turaco |
[edit] External links
- International Touraco Society
- Turaco videos on the Internet Bird Collection
