Turaco

Federhelmturako ( Tauraco corythaix )

The Turaco ( Musophagidae ) are a family of tropical, mid-sized, mostly very colorful birds. The family is the only of the order Musophagiformes.

  • 6.1 Literature
  • 6.2 Notes and references
  • 6.3 External links

Features

The colorful Turaco reach a size 36-75 inches. The Riesenturako Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata ) is 70 to 75 centimeters, the largest species in the family of Turaco. You have in relation to body short, rounded wings that are significantly shorter than the tail feathers. The relatively long tail is rounded at the end and is divided into ten stiff sheep term control springs. Their beaks are short and strong. In some species, the beak is strongly laterally compressed, strongly rounded down to the tip of the beak and the beak-root quite high. At the cutting of the beak is serrated saw-like sharply in some species; in other species, the saw-like serrations is not as pronounced.

In the referred to as semi- zygodactylen Fußbau that of the foot structure of the Cuckoos ( Cuculidae ) differs, the outer toe can be rotated either in a forward or rearward position. The second and third toes pointing forward. Between the front toes are short booklet skins. You can also find toe between the third and fourth ( outer toe ), while the second toe has grown together with its first element, for the most part with the third toe. The first toe pointing backwards. If the birds sitting on thick branch will be located on the ground the Wendezehe splayed sideways. In the rest position of three toes forward and one pointing backward. If the Turakos move in the branches of trees, show two toes backward and two forward. Your bracket feet allow Turakos excellent climbing in the trees.

Within its kind males and females do not differ in color and size. An exception is the kind of white bellied go-away bird ( Corythaixoides leucogaster ), in which the males can be distinguished by its black bill of the Olive beak of the female. Many species have a bonnet on his head. Their plumage is mostly metallic green and blue with red to dark red feathers.

Exceptional is the presence of the two dyes Turacin and Turacoverdin. Both dyes were named after the Turaco, as they have been found anywhere in the animal kingdom. The red copper-containing dye Turacin gives the flight feathers and in some species the bonnets their red to dark red in color. The green fletching comes from the green dye Turacoverdin. Other colors, such as blue, come about as the water colors by mixing the dyes. In rainy weather and when bathing the dyes, which are soluble in slightly alkaline water are washed out in small amounts. In the genre of noise Birds ( Corythaixoides ), which have a white over gray to brown plumage, lacking these dyes. The dyes arise about minerals in plant foods, such as copper and iron compounds, which are converted in the body and released into the plumage.

Occurrence

Turakos inhabit the treetops in the forest and bush areas in tropical Africa south of the Sahara. An exception is the subspecies T. f zanzibaricus whose occurrence is restricted to the island of Zanzibar. Species of the genus noise Birds ( Corythaixoides ) inhabit open landscapes, such as tree and shrub savannas, wide-open parklands and similar surfaces. Most members of the genus Helmturakos ( Tauraco ) have their habitat in the dense jungles and wide. However, condition is the presence of water, since only there to grow enough fruits, which form their food. The Riesenturako Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata ) preferred inhabited clearings and gallery forests up to an altitude 2000-2700 meters.

Way of life

Nutrition

They feed mainly on vegetable-based foods to their diet include berries, seeds, fruit, young shoots and insects. The seeds of the fruit are excreted undigested, for the most part again, so that the Turakos play an important role in the spread. Among other things, they feed on the fruit of the tamarind tree ( Tamarindus indica) and the mulberry - fig ( Ficus sycomorus ). The wrong choice of names banana -eaters are the birds justice. In captivity, although they also accept cut pieces of banana, but has never been observed in the wild that Turakos feed on bananas.

The habitats of Helmturakos, Riesenturakos and Schildturakos are located close to a water body. The representatives of the genus noise birds have a greater distance to travel to get from the inhabited dry steppe areas at a watering. However, you can make do if necessary even without water according to a report by Niethammer & Hoesch. Drinking dip the tip of the beak about two to three millimeters into the water. As the pigeons ( Columbidae ) they suck with three to four throat movements on the water, raise the head and lift the beak.

Reproduction

Their breeding periods depend on the area of ​​distribution. The shallow nests of loosely interwoven branches with one to three eggs (usually two) they create in the dense branches. Their nests resemble the nests of pigeons. The eggs are white in color over greenish to bluish. Both parent birds hatch the eggs in a period of about three weeks. The parent birds take turns also with feeding the young birds with the high regurgitated food. The junior has a dense, gray to black Dunenkleid. Just a few days after hatching, the young birds climb not far from the nest through the branches. After four weeks, the plumage of the young birds is fully grown. Avio is the offspring in four to six weeks after hatching.

System

Turaco were formerly placed in the order of the Cuckoo Birds ( Cuculiformes ). From Cabanis and kinship relations with the mouse birds ( Coliidae ) were adopted. Bonaparte took the view that they are related to the hornbills ( Bucerotidae ). After the Sibley - Ahlquist taxonomy, they were asked in the order " Musophagiformes ". This classification has now been widely accepted and is supported by recent phylogenetic studies. Of the cuckoo birds they differ from one another in the number of cervical vertebrae.

The Turakos divided today into three subfamilies with a total of six genera and 23 species. The most species-rich genus are the Helmturakos ( Tauraco ), whereas only one type are in the genus Corythaeola, the Riesenturako Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata ).

  • Subfamily Corythaeoline genus Corythaeola Type Corythaeola cristata Riesenturako
  • Genus Corythaixoides Type Corythaixoides concolor Gray Lärmvogel
  • Type Corythaixoides leucogaster White bellied go-away bird
  • Type Corythaixoides personatus Bare-throated - away-bird
  • Type Crinifer piscator Blacktail Lärmvogel
  • Type Crinifer zonurus Tie- away-bird
  • Genus Musophaga Schildturakos Type Musophaga rossae Ross Turaco
  • Type Musophaga violacea Schildturako
  • Type Ruwenzorornis johnstoni Ruwenzori Turaco
  • Type Tauraco bannermani
  • Type Tauraco corythaix Federhelmturako
  • Type Tauraco erythrolophus Rothaubenturako
  • Type Tauraco fischeri Fischerturako
  • Type Tauraco hartlaubi Turaco
  • Type Tauraco leucolophus Weißhaubenturako
  • Type Tauraco leucotis Weißohrturako
  • Type Tauraco livingstonii Langschopfturako
  • Type Tauraco macrorhynchus Blaurückenturako
  • Type Tauraco persian Guinea Turaco
  • Type Tauraco porphyreolophus Glanzhaubenturako
  • Type Tauraco ruspolii
  • Type Tauraco schalowi Schalow - Turako
  • Type Tauraco schuettii Schwarzschnabelturako

Threat

Turakos are not particularly threatened because their stocks are still predominantly stable and they live far away from human settlements and breed. An increasing problem is the felling of trees in the forest areas. By logging in the distribution area of Bannerman's Turaco ( Tauraco bannermani ) are individual forest pieces were written, which split the species in small populations. The distribution area of Bannerman's Turaco is fragmented increasingly smaller and farther. Since 2005 he is on the IUCN Red List as endangered species ( endangered ). The Banner Man Turaco is listed since 1 June 1997 in Appendix B of the Washington Convention ( CITES ) and may in accordance with Annex A of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation ( EC Regulation No 338 /97) as a strictly protected species no longer in the European Union be introduced and traded within the EU.

Swell

Henry Seebohm Red-crested Turaco Purple-crested Turaco
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