There are 23 species of Turacos (Musophagidae), endemic to the forests and savannas of Central and Southern Africa. Turacos mainly live in the trees and will spend most of the day feeding on insects and large fruits; thus they play an important role in seed dispersal. They are characteristic of having long tails, unique head crests, rounded wings and strong legs. Turacos are not very good at flying, but are great at running. They use their strong legs to mobilize themselves from one tree to the next. These birds have brilliant colors ranging from bright blues, violets, reds and green. The red and green colors of turaco feathers come from copper based pigments called metalloporphyrins, which are compounds, such as hemes, that bind with metals and porphyrin. Many turacos are also characteristic of having a red ring around their eyes with a white stripe.
There is limited information on the Turaco species and I am trying to gather as much information on this species as possible!! Please feel free to comment with any references on this unique bird.
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