Tauraco
Encyclopedia
Tauraco is a genus of turaco
s. It contains the "typical" or green turacos; though their plumage is not always green all over, the presence of significant amounts of turacoverdin
-colored plumage
generally sets Turaco species
apart from other Musophagidae. Indeed, as opposed to any other known bird
s, Tauraco turaco
s are the only living bird taxa that have any significant green pigment
whatsoever, as the greens of many parrot
s etc. are due to structural color, not pigment.
Species are:
The last species was sometimes united with the Ruwenzori Turaco
(Ruwenzorornis ) and the Great Blue Turaco
(Corythaeola cristata) in Gallirex.
Turaco
The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae , which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as louries. They are semi-zygodactylous - the fourth toe can be switched back and forth...
s. It contains the "typical" or green turacos; though their plumage is not always green all over, the presence of significant amounts of turacoverdin
Turacoverdin
Turacoverdin is a unique copper uroporphyrin pigment responsible for the bright green coloration of several birds of the family Musophagidae, most notably the turaco. It is chemically related to turacin, a red pigment also found almost exclusively in turacos...
-colored plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
generally sets Turaco species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
apart from other Musophagidae. Indeed, as opposed to any other known bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, Tauraco turaco
Turaco
The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae , which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as louries. They are semi-zygodactylous - the fourth toe can be switched back and forth...
s are the only living bird taxa that have any significant green pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
whatsoever, as the greens of many parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s etc. are due to structural color, not pigment.
Species are:
- Guinea Turaco (also called Green Turaco), Tauraco persa
- Livingstone's TuracoLivingstone's TuracoThe Livingstone's Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family, which was named for Charles Livingstone, the brother of David Livingstone.It is distributed through the subtropical lowlands of southeastern Africa....
, Tauraco livingstonii - Schalow's TuracoSchalow's TuracoThe Schalow's Turaco is a frugivorous bird in the Musophagidae family. It is named after Herman Schalow. Mature birds have, on average, the longest crests of any turaco species....
, Tauraco schalowi - Knysna TuracoKnysna TuracoThe Knysna Turaco , or, in South Africa, Knysna Lourie, is a large turaco, one of a group of African near-passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, and Swaziland. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the...
, Tauraco corythaix - Black-billed TuracoBlack-billed TuracoThe Black-billed Turaco, Tauraco schuetti, 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 southern Sudan.-Description:40 cm; ranging...
, Tauraco schuettii - White-crested TuracoWhite-crested TuracoThe White-crested Turaco, Tauraco leucolophus, is a turaco, a group of near-passerines. The White-crested Turaco is native to riverine forest and woodland in a belt between eastern Nigeria and western Kenya.-References:...
, Tauraco leucolophus - Fischer's TuracoFischer's TuracoFischer's Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family.It is found in Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and arable land.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:*...
, Tauraco fischeri - Yellow-billed TuracoYellow-billed TuracoThe Yellow-billed Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family. 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.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. ....
, Tauraco macrorhynchus - Bannerman's TuracoBannerman's TuracoBannerman's Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family. It is endemic to Cameroon. In French it is known as touraco de Bannerman or touraco doré. Its scientific and common names honor the ornithologist David Armitage Bannerman.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist...
, Tauraco bannermani - Red-crested TuracoRed-crested TuracoThe Red-crested Turaco, Tauraco erythrolophus, is a turaco, a group of African near-passerines. It is a fruit-eating bird endemic to western Angola...
, Tauraco erythrolophus - Hartlaub's TuracoHartlaub's TuracoThe Hartlaub's Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family.It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Tauraco hartlaubi - White-cheeked TuracoWhite-cheeked TuracoThe White-cheeked Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family.It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan. A mid-sized species is measures in length, including a tail of , and weighs .-References:...
, Tauraco leucotis - Ruspoli's Turaco, Tauraco ruspolii
- Purple-crested TuracoPurple-crested TuracoThe Purple-crested Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family.It is found in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe....
, Tauraco porphyreolophus
The last species was sometimes united with the Ruwenzori Turaco
Ruwenzori Turaco
The Ruwenzori Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Ruwenzorornis.It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.-References:...
(Ruwenzorornis ) and the Great Blue Turaco
Great Blue Turaco
The Great Blue Turaco is a turaco, a group of African near-passerines. It is not only the largest turaco but the largest species in the diverse Cuculiformes order . Generally, the Great Blue Turaco is in length with a mass of...
(Corythaeola cristata) in Gallirex.