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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Lady
Ross's turaco |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Cuculiformes
[Some sources cite a distinct Order for turacos
or "plaintain eaters" of Musophagiformes;
(prefix "musa" means "banana")] |
| FAMILY: |
Musophagidea
[23 species] |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Musophaga rossae |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
A medium-sized bird, with a long tail and broad,
round wings. They have three toes on each foot that
point forward, while the fourth toe can be rotated
forward or backwards (semi-zygodactylous). Males
and females differ in that females may have a greenish
beak. |
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| SIZE: |
37.5-45 cm (15-18 in) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Less than .45 kg (less than 1 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Primarily eat plants and fruit, but will occasionally
eat insects |
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| INCUBATION: |
21-24
days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
2
eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
4-7
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: |
Central and southern Africa |
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| HABITAT: |
Forests and wooded valleys |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Stable |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
No data |
| CITES |
No
data |
| USFWS |
No
data |
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| 1. |
Both
the male and female share time incubating their
clutch. Both parents also feed the downy chicks
by regurgitation. They keep the nest clean by eating
the eggshells and the chick's droppings. The chicks
will not develop the full adult coloration until
about one year. |
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| 2. |
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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| 3. |
Lady Ross's turacos are very social birds, moving
in small noisy flocks. They spend their life among
trees in search of fruit until evening when they
nest solitarily on a platform of twigs. |
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| 4. |
These
birds have mobile outer toes, which they are able
to rotate forward or backward. |
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| 5. |
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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| 6. |
On
their heads is a beautiful crest, which stands about
5 cm (2 in.) when they are excited. |
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| 7. |
They
use their long tails for balance and their feet
are very good at gripping. |
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| 8. |
Turacos
live in large flocks of up to 30 individuals. They
are monogamous in breeding. During courtship, the
male turaco will feed the female. Mated pairs will
build their nest together. Once the eggs have hatched,
other flock members help the new mother care for
the chicks. |
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| 9. |
Very
little was known about this genus - 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 plantains 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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| http://www.statenislandzoo.org/savanna_files/turaco.html |
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