Red-crested turaco
| Red-crested turaco | ||||||||||
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A red-hooded turaco |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Tauraco erythrolophus | ||||||||||
| ( Vieillot , 1819) |
The red- crested turaco ( Tauraco erythrolophus ), also called red-headed turaco , is a species in the genus of the helmet turaco ( Tauraco ) and belongs to the family of the turacos (Musophagidae).
It inhabits forest areas and savannahs in Angola , Congo and Zaire in Africa . The population of the red-crested turaco was classified in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2016 as “ Least Concern (LC) ” = “not endangered”.
features
The red-crested turaco reaches a body length of up to 40 centimeters. The weight is between 210 and 345 grams. There is no difference in size or color between males and females.
The red-crested turaco has a red feather bonnet on the top of the head, which is lined with white and which is usually carried erect. The nape of the neck is dark red, the chin and cheeks are whitish. The sides of the neck, the chest and the upper back are metallic green. The shoulders and the wing covers are earth green and shiny. The arm wings also have a steel blue sheen. The remaining flight feathers are deep red. The tail is deep dark blue. The beak is yellow.
The red-crested turaco has outer toes that can move forwards and backwards. The nostrils are round. Due to its plumage, it is difficult to spot in the treetops, only the loud shout reveals its presence.
As with all turacos, the red and green plumage colors are not created by natural dyes or light refraction. The red- head turaco produces them from two special copper pigments: The red, copper-containing dye turacin gives the flight feathers and the feather bonnet their red to dark red color. The green fletching comes from the green dye turacoverdin .
Way of life
The red-crested turaco usually lives in the treetops of the trees at a summit height of two to eight meters and rarely comes to the ground. He's a good flyer and he climbs through the trees with great skill. Its diet consists of fruits, berries, parts of plants such as leaves and buds and seeds. It also occasionally eats animal prey, especially snails and insects.
At courtship, he presents his feather bonnet particularly conspicuously and spreads his flight feathers. He usually lives as a couple, only rarely and only for a few weeks in a small family union. In the event of danger, he remains motionless in his place and escapes when the opportunity arises.
Reproduction
The nest of the red-crested turaco is cup-shaped and is usually laid out in a dense framework. The clutch consists of two white eggs that are almost spherical in shape. Both parent birds breed, the breeding period is just under three weeks. Both parent birds also provide the nestlings with food.
Newly hatched nestlings are initially dark gray to black booths. After a week they show quills on their wings and tail. The young birds leave the nest before they are able to fly and climb into the branches near the nest. They will continue to be looked after by the adult turacos until they are independent. They are driven out of the area shortly afterwards by the parent birds.
attitude
Red-crested turacos are repeatedly kept in zoological gardens and are also successfully bred there. They are occasionally shown in communal aviaries with other bird species, but because of their pronounced territoriality, which they also show towards smaller hornbills, mostly with ground-dwelling birds as well as smaller finches and starlings. In human care, red-crested turacos can get very old and have already reached an age of more than 30 years.
literature
- W. Grummt , H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 .
- Theo Pagel , Bernd Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-8001-5192-9 .
Web links
- Tauraco erythrolophus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed on 8 October 2016th
Single receipts
- ↑ Tauraco erythrolophus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2016 Posted by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved on 3 October 2017th
- ↑ a b Pagel, Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . P. 63.
- ↑ a b Pagel, Marcordes: Exotic soft-eaters . P. 64.
- ↑ Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 464
- ↑ Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 466