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Turacos

Kateri J. Davis

Natural History

The turacos of order Musophagiformes, are found solely in Africa south of the Sahara. There are
23 species of turacos in five genera, with several subspecies identified. Common names are
many, including plantain-eater, go-away bird, loury, and touraco, although turaco is currently the
most popular.
All species are about the size of a chicken with long tails, short rounded wings, zygodactyl toe
arrangement, and strong legs for running along and bounding off branches. They have smooth
plumage and crests, which most can erect at will. A unique characteristic is that the green and
purple turaco species possess two actual copper-based feather pigments: turacoverdin (green) and
turacin (red).
Although there are five genera, turacos can be grouped into four basic categories: the greens
(genus Tauraco), purples (genus Musophaga), grays (genera Corythaixoides and Crinifer), and the
blue (one species, the Great Blue Turaco, Corythaeola cristata). The purples tend to be called plan-
tain-eaters and the grays tend to be called go-away birds. There is variation in habitat, diet, and
behavior between the green/purple and gray groups.
Most species of turacos are found in pairs or small groups in the mid-canopy section of evergreen
and rain forest environments, with the exception of the gray group which inhabits the drier savanna
areas. Fruit is the main diet of most species, with the gray species taking more leafy fare. Occasional
animal protein in the form of grubs or other insects is taken.
Turacos are monogamous and make a flat, insubstantial stick nest, much like a pigeon. They are
semi-determinate layers of two to three white eggs. The young are fed by regurgitation. All species,
except the White-bellied Go-away Bird, Criniferoides leucogaster, are sexually monomorphic.

­ Criteria­for Intervention

Because of their color and other display qualities, turacos are some of the more commonly kept
softbill private avicultural subjects in the United States and Europe, as well as being popular in
many zoological institutions.

Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition. Edited by Rebecca S. Duerr and Laurie J. Gage.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.