Red-crested turaco

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Red-crested turaco
RedcrestedTuraco.jpg
Red-crested turaco, Niagara Falls Aviary, Canada
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Musophagiformes
Family: Musophagidae
Genus: Tauraco
Species:
T. erythrolophus
Binomial name
Tauraco erythrolophus
(Vieillot, 1819)

The red-crested turaco (Tauraco erythrolophus) 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.

Contents

Description

The red-crested turaco weighs 210-325 g and is 45–50 cm long. It looks similar to the Bannerman's turaco, but differs in crest and face colors. Both sexes are similar. [2]

Behaviour

They are seen in flocks of up to 30 birds, or in pairs. They usually remain in trees, only coming down to eat or drink. [2]

Voice

A deep barking call. the female's call is slightly higher-pitched than the male's. They are highly vocal, particularly at dawn. [2]

Reproduction

Red-crested turacos are monogamous. Both mates build a flimsy nest 5 to 20 meters above the ground in dense foliage. After laying eggs, both birds incubate the eggs. The young leave the nest at 4–5 weeks old. [2]

As a national bird

The red-crested turaco is the national bird of Angola. It occurs quite commonly along the length of the Angolan escarpment and adjacent forested habitats. [3]

In media

A red-crested turaco was featured in 1998's The Parent Trap, as the bird pecking Meredith's chest shortly before she wakes up to discover Annie and Hallie have floated her camping mattress onto a lake. This scene of the film is set in Northern California, so the choice of this bird species is distinctly out of place.

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">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">Great blue turaco</span> Species of bird

The great blue turaco is a bird species of the family Musophagidae. At 70–76 cm (28–30 in) in length, it is the largest species of turaco. It has predominantly grey-blue plumage with an upright blue-black crest around 10 cm (3.9 in) high. The male and female have similar plumage. It is widespread throughout the African tropical rainforest.

<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">Crested coua</span> Species of bird

The crested coua is a common medium sized bird member of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, mainly found in the coastal regions of the island. The crested coua is a weak flyer, so it will often be observed hopping from branch to branch in high canopies. It is distinguished mainly by its greenish-grey back, its prominent grey head crest, rufous-coloured breast, white abdomen and bright turquoise and blue patches of bare skin around the eyes. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-toed lapwing</span> Species of bird

The long-toed lapwing , also known as the long-toed plover, is a species of wading bird in the lapwing subfamily, within the family Charadriidae. It is mainly sedentary and found across central and eastern Africa, from Chad and South Sudan in the north to Mozambique in the southeast of its range. It is one of 13 species of ground-nesting lapwings found in Africa.

<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">Hartlaub's turaco</span> Species of bird

Hartlaub's turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

<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">Yellow-billed turaco</span> Species of bird

The yellow-billed turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

<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">Curl-crested aracari</span> Species of bird

The curl-crested araçari or curl-crested araçari is a near-passerine bird in the toucan family Ramphastidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested barbet</span> Species of bird

The crested barbet is a sub-Saharan bird in the Lybiidae family. Its specific name commemorates François Levaillant, a famed French naturalist.

<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.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Tauraco erythrolophus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22688346A93193784. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688346A93193784.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Red-crested Turaco". www.oiseaux-birds.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  3. "Birds Angola - National Bird". www.birdsangola.org. Retrieved 2017-07-11.