Check out the results of the Turaco Survey 2020! Uniquely Beautiful Birds The beauty of turacos strikes you immediately. They all have raised head crests, long tails, graceful movements, and an intelligent look in their eyes. These large softbills are curious and not prone to hiding, making them very "showy" in captivity. Even most wild birds…
There is a great variety of different birds in South Africa. Typical bird species in South Africa are Knysna turacos or cape wagtails.
Violet Turaco
Purple-crested Turaco
A spectacular green turaco with a fluffy whitish crest. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. An Ethiopian endemic that is found very locally in lush woodland and scrub, often in areas with fruiting trees. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Calls include a hollow series of “krow” notes and a series of high-pitched, metallic calls. Similar to White-cheeked Turaco, but easily separated by its pale crest and lack of white facial markings.
A website dedicated to the conservation of the rare bird family commonly known as Turacos or Touracos.
A spectacular turaco with iridescent dark blue wings and tail and a green head and breast. Note the ornate markings on the head: a moderate crest that is white-and-orange along the back, and white stripes above and below the eye. Like all turacos, shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found in coastal forest and woodland and along forest edge. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Overall similar to Livingstone’s and Hartlaub’s Turacos, but easily separated by the orange in the crest. Call is a gruff, accelerating series of “kow” notes.
A White-bellied Go-Away Bird photographed in Buffalo Springs NP, Kenya. I have a soft spot for all Turacos. These quintessentially African birds are noisy, flambuoyant and idiosyncratic. They have feather pigments not found in any other type of bird and are generally fruit-eaters though I watched a number of species crop and eat leaves. Framed by a friend.
Fossil evidence dates the turaco’s evolutionary history back to the Cretaceous period, where scientists argue its branch-off from the cuckoo (Cuculiformes) lineage. STATUS: The white-crested turaco is neither threatened nor endangered. For many turaco species, their primary threat is humankind. They are hunted both for meat and feathers, particularly their brilliant red flight-feathers, worn by members of some African tribes. HABITAT: White-crested turacos live in some of the most forested regions of sub-Saharan Africa, from southeast Nigeria to west Kenya. Types of terrain occupied by these birds include open woodland, gallery and riverine forests. DIET: Turacos are frugivorous (fruit-eating). Their diet relies heavily on the variety of fruits native to sub-Saharan Africa. They will also eat caterpillars, moths, beetles, snails, slugs, termites, and to a lesser extent foliage, flowers, and buds. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Turacos rank among the most colorful birds in Africa. A white-crested turaco has a vibrant shade of dark blue body feathers and lime green plumage on its breast. White feathers extend around the face and then up behind the head in the shape of a Mohawk. Black sits above the beak and between the eyes, where red-bare orbital skin surrounds each eye. For zoologists, the turaco’s most distinctive feature, apart from the copper pigments, is its semi-zygodactylous toes. Each claw has a pair of toes that face forward and a pair that face backwards (8 toes in all), but turacos have a more flexible toe on the rear of each claw that can move to the side. This flexibility makes for easy grip and tree-climbing.
Colombian artist Diana Beltrán Herrera (previously) adds to her growing collection of intricate paper sculptures with new plant and animal life. From her studio in Bristol, the artist and designer recreates lifelike reproductions of turacos, monarchs, and various species with nearly perfect precision. Innumerable fringed strips become feathers, faint scores mimic delicate creases in petals,Continue reading "Lifelike Sculptures by Diana Beltrán Herrera Recreate Flora and Fauna in Intricately Cut Paper"
Tauraco hartlaubi, Hartlaub's Turaco, family Musophagidae. It is found in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in montane forests, lush woodlands and gardens. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Similar overall to other turacos, but separated from most by the dark blue crown, and from Purple-crested Turaco by the white facial markings. Call is a gruff, accelerating series of “kow” notes.
