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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Guinea
turaco, green turaco |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Cuculiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Musophagidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Tauraco
(imitation of the bird's cry) persa persa |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
Guinea turaco is a medium-sized, green bird with
a long tail, a tall crest, red eyes and a red beak.
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| SIZE: |
From
beak to tip of tail, approximately 47.5-50 cm (19-20
in) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Less
than 0.45 kg (less than 1 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Includes
fruit, flowers, leaves, termites, seed pods, 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 |
Approximately
4 weeks to fledge |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
1-2
years |
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| RANGE: |
Central
and southern Africa |
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| HABITAT: |
Found
in forest and savanna areas |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| 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.) tall 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. |
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| 7. |
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.
Chicks can fly at 4 weeks of age. They may leave
the nest at 6 weeks of age (or decide to stay with
the flock). |
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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 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 eating messy 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,
C. M. and A.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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