Ruspoli's turaco

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Ruspoli's turaco
TuracusRuspoliiGronvold.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Musophagiformes
Family: Musophagidae
Genus: Menelikornis
Species:
M. ruspolii
Binomial name
Menelikornis ruspolii
(Salvadori, 1896)

Ruspoli's turaco (Menelikornis ruspolii), also known as Prince Ruspoli's turaco, is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is endemic to southern Ethiopia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Contents

Taxonomy

Ruspoli's turaco photographed in the Negele Borena region in Ethiopia Tauraco ruspolii (id 8907).jpg
Ruspoli's turaco photographed in the Negele Borena region in Ethiopia
Ruspoli's turaco photographed in the Negele Borena region in Ethiopia Tauraco ruspolii.jpg
Ruspoli's turaco photographed in the Negele Borena region in Ethiopia

The species was first collected by Eugenio Ruspoli in either 1892 or 1893, but due to his subsequent death, the location and date of this find remain unknown. However, his collection was examined by T. Salvadori, who named the bird in his honor. [2]

Habitat

Prince Ruspoli's Turaco, also known as Tauraco ruspolii, is primarily found in juniper (Juniperus) woodland accompanied by dense evergreen undergrowth near Arero and Wadera. However, it is believed that this elusive bird species has a preference for drier forest edges, acacia-conifer woodland, and mixed broadleaf scrub. It typically inhabits elevations ranging from 1250 to 1860 meters above sea level. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turaco</span> Family of birds

The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae ( "banana-eaters"), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as loeries. They are semi-zygodactylous: the fourth (outer) toe can be switched back and forth. The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species. Musophagids often have prominent crests and long tails; the turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments giving them their bright green and red feathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet turaco</span> Species of bird

The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater, is a large turaco, a group of African otidimorphae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guinea turaco</span> Species of bird

The Guinea turaco, also known as the green turaco or green lourie, is a species of turaco, a group of African otidimorph birds. It formerly included the Livingstone's, Schalow's, Knysna, black-billed and Fischer's turacos as subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Highlands</span> Mountain range in Zimbabwe and Mozambique

The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Eastern Highlands extend north and south for about 300 kilometres (190 mi) through Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province and Mozambique's Manica Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-billed turaco</span> Species of bird

The black-billed turaco is a medium-sized turaco, an endemic family to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a resident breeder in the forests of central Africa, found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, West Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Highlands</span> Mountain range in northern Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the "Roof of Northeastern Africa" due to its height and large area. It is the only country in the region with such a high elevated surface. This elevated surface is bisected diagonally by the Great East African Rift System which extends from Syria to Mozambique across the East African Lakes. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-crested turaco</span> Species of bird

The red-crested turaco is a turaco, a group of African otidimorph birds. It is a frugivorous bird endemic to western Angola. Its call sounds somewhat like a jungle monkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-crested turaco</span> Species of bird

The white-crested turaco is a bird in the family Musophagidae, a group of African otidimorph birds. The white-crested turaco is native to riverine forest and woodland in a belt between eastern Nigeria and western Kenya. It is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knysna turaco</span> Species of bird

The Knysna turaco, or, in South Africa, Knysna loerie, is a large turaco, one of a group of African musophagidae birds. It is a resident breeder in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, and Eswatini. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the green turaco of West Africa. The Livingstone's and Schalow's turacos were once considered subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross's turaco</span> Species of bird

Ross's turaco or Lady Ross's turaco is a mainly bluish-purple African bird of the turaco family, Musophagidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bannerman's turaco</span> Species of bird

Bannerman's turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is endemic to Cameroon. In French it is known as touraco de Bannerman or touraco doré. Its scientific and common names honour the ornithologist David Armitage Bannerman. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as an "endangered species".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fischer's turaco</span> Species of bird

Fischer's turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is found in Coastal East Africa, including Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and arable land. It is threatened by habitat loss and trapping for the wildlife trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-cheeked turaco</span> Species of bird

The white-cheeked turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. A mid-sized species, it measures about 43 cm (17 in) in length, including a tail of 19 cm (7.5 in), and weighs about 200–315 g (7.1–11.1 oz). This species is the most commonly raised turaco in captive conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livingstone's turaco</span> Species of bird

Livingstone's turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae, which was named for Charles Livingstone, the brother of David Livingstone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple-crested turaco</span> Species of bird

The purple-crested turaco or, in South Africa, the purple-crested loerie, is a species of bird in the clade Turaco with an unresolved phylogenetic placement. Initial analyses placed the purple-crested turaco in the family Musophagidae, but studies have indicated that these birds do not belong to this family and have been placed in the clade of Turacos with an unresolved phylogeny. It is the National Bird of the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the crimson flight feathers of this and related turaco species are important in the ceremonial regalia of the Swazi royal family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schalow's turaco</span> Species of bird

Schalow's turaco is a frugivorous bird in the family Musophagidae. This bird's common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German banker and amateur ornithologist Herman Schalow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands</span>

The Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands is an ecoregion located on the coast of Angola, an area with a variety of habitats and rich in wildlife including many endemic birds and animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian montane forests</span> Tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in Ethiopia

The Ethiopian montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in eastern Africa. It covers the middle elevations of the Ethiopian Highlands in Ethiopia and extends into neighboring Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, and Somaliland. The ecoregion includes distinctive Afromontane forests, woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands. The ecoregion's biodiversity is threatened by deforestation, conversion to agriculture, and overgrazing.

Prince Eugenio Ruspoli was an Italian explorer and naturalist. He was the author of the book Nel Paese della Mirra, published in 1892.

Hemidactylus ruspolii, also known commonly as the farm leaf-toed gecko, Prince Ruspoli's gecko, Ruspoli's gecko, and the turnip-tailed black and yellow gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to northern East Africa.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2022). "Tauraco ruspolii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  2. Endemic Birds of Ethiopia
  3. "Prince Ruspoli's Turaco articles - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2023-10-26.