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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
red-crested
turaco |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Cuculiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Musophagidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Tauraco (imitation of the bird's cry) erythrolophus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Medium-sized bird with a long tail and tall crest.
Eyes and crest are red. Beak is yellowish-green.
Body is green. |
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| SIZE: |
47.5-50 cm (19-20 in) from beak to tip of tail |
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| WEIGHT: |
Less than .45 kg (less than 1 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Fruit, flowers, leaves, termites, seeds, acacia,
figs, and snails (up to the size of a peach!) |
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| INCUBATION: |
21-24 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2-3
eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
4
weeks |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
1-2 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Approximately 5-9 years |
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| RANGE: |
Restricted to the African continent, south of the
Sahara from Angola to the Congo |
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| HABITAT: |
Forest and savanna |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
No
data |
| CITES |
Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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| 1. |
Turacos
are the only birds to possess true red and green
color. When you look at most birds, the color you
are seeing is a reflection produced by the feather
structure. The turaco's red pigment (turacin) and
green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper.
In fact, if you stirred a glass of water with a
red turaco feather, the water would turn pink! In
museum species, the pigments deepen with age because
the copper begins to oxidize. |
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| 2. |
These birds have mobile outer toes, which they are
able to rotate forward or backward. |
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| 3. |
The call of a turaco sounds like "g'way",
which is why they are often referred to as go-away
birds. |
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| 4. |
On
their heads is a beautiful crest, which stands about
5 cm (2 in.) when they are excited. |
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| 5. |
They
use their long tails for balance and their feet
are very good at gripping. |
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| 6. |
Turacos
live in large flocks of up to 30 individuals. They
are monogamous in breeding. During courtship, the
male turaco will feed the female. Together, they
build their nest; mother and father take turns sitting
on the eggs. Once the eggs have hatched, other flock
members help the new mother care for the chicks. |
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| 7. |
Turacos
are monogamous. |
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| 8. |
Very
little was known about this species - so little
in fact that originally these birds were in the
same genus as plantain eaters, however it was later
discovered that turacos rarely ate them at all. |
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Turacos are a food source for many animals larger
than themselves.
They
are so abundant in Africa that they are considered
a pest. Their feeding habits are very destructive,
which annoys most gardeners. However, they aid
in seed dispersal by messily eating fruit. They
also eat berries that are considered highly poisonous
to humans.
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|
| Austin,
G. Birds of the World. Golden Press, Inc.,
New York, 1961. |
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Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Blandford Books Ltd., UK, 1981. |
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Perrins, Dr. Christopher M. And Dr. Alex L.A.
Middleton, eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds.
New York: Facts on File Pub., 1985.
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| Simpson,
D.P. Cassell's Latin Dictionary. Macmillan
Publishing Company, New York, 1959. |
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