Turaco
Sign in to saveThe turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae ( "banana-eaters"), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as loeries. They are semi-zygodactylous: the fourth (outer) toe can be switched back and forth. The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species. Musophagids often have prominent crests and long tails; the turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments giving them their bright green and red feathers.
AI overview
Turacos are colorful African birds belonging to the family Musophagidae, known for their distinctive bright green and red feathers produced by unique pigments found nowhere else in nature. These semi-zygodactylous birds—meaning they can rotate their outer toe backward and forward—are characterized by prominent crests and long tails, and they play a notable role in African ecosystems as fruit-eaters, particularly of bananas and plantains.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Musophagiformes
- Image
- Corythaixoides leucogaster -Kambi ya Tembo, Tanzania -female-8 (1).jpg
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Article
8 sectionsContents
- Morphology
- Evolution and systematics
- Phylogeny
- Species
- Interaction with humans
- Citations
- General and cited references
- External links
The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae ( "banana-eaters"), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as loeries. They are semi-zygodactylous: the fourth (outer) toe can be switched back and forth. The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species. Musophagids often have prominent crests and long tails; the turacos are noted for peculiar and unique pigments giving them their bright green and red feathers.
Traditionally, this group has been allied with the cuckoos in the order Cuculiformes, but the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy raises this group to a full order Musophagiformes. They have been proposed to link the hoatzin to the other living birds, but this was later disputed. Recent genetic analyses have strongly supported the order ranking of Musophagiformes.