Turaco

The turacos, plantain eaters and go-away birds make up the bird family Musophagidae (literally banana-eaters). Traditionally, this group has been placed in the cuckoo order Cuculiformes, but Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy raises this group to a full order Musophagiformes

This is an African group of largish arboreal birds. Their flight is weak, but they run quickly through the tree canopy. They feed on fruit and some insects.

The turacos and plantain eaters are brightly coloured birds, usually blue, green or purple. The green color comes from turacoverdin, the only true green pigment in birds. (Other "greens" in bird colors result from a yellow pigment such as lypochrome combined with the prismatic blue physical structure of the feather itself.) Their wings contain a red pigment turacin. Both pigments are unique to this group. The Go away birds are mainly grey and white.

The Musophagidae build large stick nests in trees, and lay 2 or 3 eggs.

The species are:

• Order Cuculiformes
  • Family Musophagidae
    • Great Blue Turaco, Corythaeola cristata
    • Guinea Turaco, Tauraco persa
    • Livingstone's Turaco, Tauraco livingstonii
    • Schalow's Turaco, Tauraco schalowi
    • Knysna Turaco, Tauraco corythaix
    • Black-billed Turaco, Tauraco schuettii
    • White-crested Turaco, Tauraco leucolophus
    • Fischer's Turaco, Tauraco fischeri
    • Yellow-billed Turaco, Tauraco macrorhynchus
    • Bannerman's Turaco, Tauraco bannermani
    • Red-crested Turaco, Tauraco erythrolophus
    • Hartlaub's Turaco, Tauraco hartlaubi
    • White-cheeked Turaco, Tauraco leucotis
    • Prince Ruspoli's Turaco, Tauraco ruspolii
    • Purple-crested Turaco, Tauraco porphyreolophus
    • Ruwenzori Turaco, Ruwenzorornis johnstoni
    • Violet Turaco, Musophaga violacea
    • Ross' Turaco, Musophaga rossae
    • Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides personatus
    • Gray Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides concolor
    • White-bellied Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides leucogaster
    • Western Plantain-eater, Crinifer piscator
    • Eastern Plantain-eater Crinifer zonurus
  • Family Cuculidae: cuckoos
  • Family Opisthocomidae: Hoatzin