Turakos is a family clearly distinguishable from the other cuckoo-birds tree-living in, moderate-sized birds from Africa's forest and bush-regions. The plumage of most types is mainly green until bluish with metallic glimmer, that Handschwingen lift, itself of it shining red from. Both plumage-colors don't come about through refractions at certain feather-structures but are not founded own dyes, the green "Turacoverdin" and the red, copper-containing "Turacin" on 2 different ones and only the Turakos.
Way of life Turakos live almost exclusively from plant-materials, among them tree-fruits, seeds, berries and fresh instincts. The brood-periods of these tropical and subtropical birds - according to spread-area - begin to quite different seasons.
Reproduction The nest of the Turakos is a flat construction from branches and is positioned highly in the protective treetops above. Usually, the nest of these birds consists of 2-3 pure-whitens or easily greenish until bluish sounded eggs, that become erbrütet from both parents approximately for 3 weeks. The squabs carry a dense one, gray until black colored Dunenkleid and is fed with high-choked food by both alto-birds. Already after few days, they can around-climb in the surrounding branches; the squabs are fully-fledged in the age of 4-6 weeks.
Types As species-richest type of the family, Helmturakos (type Tauraco) populate the closed forest-areas, while that is befiederten noise-birds (they lack the two aforesaid dyes completely) mainly gray in Africa's more open landscapes at home.
Helmturakos 10-14 types of the type Helmturakos (Tauraco) are distinguished. It is approximately 35-45 cm big, langschwänzige birds with an aufrichtbaren feather-bonnet on the vertex. The prevalent plumage-colors are green and blue, usually the plumage has a metallic shine. The Handschwingen (energy-feathers) take off dark-red shining from the remaining plumage, furthermore beak, eye-surroundings and the feather-headdress wear prominent colored insignia. Both sexes are immediately colored and also equally big.
Way of life With it, Helmturakos put perform courtship display the shining plumage-parts through Flügelspreizen and raising of the head-bonnet to the show.
Helmturakos live in exclusively the treetops, in which it very turned around-climbs. its outer toes are movable at will to the front and to the back. The food consists u of fruits, berries, young instincts. ä. Usually Turakos move in pairs around, only rarely, small family-associations hold together over longer time. Helmturakos only are despite its colorful plumage extremely heavy in the foliage-roof to discovered, because the green-blue reason-color lets it merged with its surroundings. As soon as the birds of a danger become conscious for itself, they remain sitting motionless in order to run unseen at the next favorable opportunity away. its loud reputations alone betray the presence of the Helmturakos fast.
Reproduction Also the nests are hidden very much positioned in the dense branch-work that it is relaxed, flat platforms from dry branches. The nest of the Helmturakos usually consists of two white eggs, that are incubated by both alto-birds for 3 weeks barely. Also together both parents feed the Dunenjungen until they are befiedert completely after approximately 4 weeks. Already before, young Helmturakos sometimes climb in the surrounding branches around.
Riesenturako The biggest type of the family is with 70-75 cm of total-length of the Riesenturako (Corythaeola cristata) from the dense forests and gallery-forests of the Senegal and Sudan as far as to the Congo, to Angola, Kenya and Uganda. The entire upper side of this splendid bird is light-blue, as well head and front-breast. The remaining breast - and also the fore stomach-region contrasts light-green; Sub-stomach and sub-tail-blankets carry maroon feathers; the long, yellow-green tail has a wide, black bond in the end. A blue-black feather-comb stands on the vertex; the yellow beak is red at its top. The Riesenturakos lack red feathers completely; both sexes resemble from.
Way of life In pairs or in groups wanders up to approximately 12 animals Riesenturakos between the treetops in the glide, in the branch-work, they are able Turakos umherzuklettern skillfully like finished. Particularly during the morning and twilight, one becomes aware of these birds through its loud, typical reputations. The nests appear small disproportionately and are positioned highly in treetops above. The nest usually consists of 1-2 greenish-whitens eggs (5 x 4,3). In Cameroon, the incubation begins in December, in Nigeria against it already in May and possibly once again in September.
Schildturakos As the two types of the Schildturakos (type Musophaga) are last type of the family to mention. they are called also Pisang or banana-eaters although Turakos only pick blooms ("paradise-figs") and fruits of banana-trees (= "Pisangbäumen") once as an exception.
The 46-48 cm big actual Schildturako (Musophaga violacea) lives in the outskirts of closed forest-regions of Gambia until Nigeria and in East-Cameroon (at the Ubangi-Fluß). Only if it became inevitable, Schildturakos fly quite heavily across shorter routes, otherwise they climb in pairs or in small groups (up to 12 animals) quickly like squirrels in the Gezweig around. Also low Euphorbien-Büsche use Roßturakos or Hauben-Schildturakos (M). rossae, as habitat; skillfully, the birds move through the dense Dornengestrüpp of these wolf-milk-plants. The spread-area of these 47-50 cm of big Turakoart stretches as far as to the southern Sudan from East-Cameroon, to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania as well as until to Zambia and Angola. Schildturakos have a mainly blue-violet plumage; the green dyes are covered by Melanine (black pigments) here. Handschwingen and vertex-feathers are colored deep-red with both types; Roßturakos has exist a clearly put head-bonnet, that only indicated with Schildturakos otherwise. The beaks of the Schildturakos are very powerful and yellow colored with more (Schildturakos) or less far red-colored tops (Roßturakos). At the basis of the waiter-beak, a wide horn-shield begins, that is enough until on the forehead.
its nests position this Turakos in dense-leafy trees (also quite densely over the ground). The nests consist of 2 eggs (4,2 x 3,6-4 cm). Is as good as nothing known over the brood-behavior.
Turakos (above all Helmturakos, as the white-ear or Weißwangenturako, Tauraco leucotis) are held because of its colorful plumage gladly in zoo-aviaries where they propagate also from time to time.
Scientific name: