The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater (''Tauraco violaceus''), is a large
turaco, a group of African
otidimorphae
Otidimorphae is a clade of birds that contains the orders Cuculiformes (cuckoos), Musophagiformes (turacos), and Otidiformes (bustards) identified in 2014 by genome analysis. George Sangster and colleagues in 2022 named the clade uniting turaco ...
.
Characteristics
These are unmistakable birds, but shy and often inconspicuous in the treetops. They are approximately long, including a long tail and a bill. They boast a winglength of and weigh approximately . The plumage is glossy violet, except for the yellow forehead, chestnut crown and white ear coverts; the bill is thick and red. In flight, the violet turaco's crimson primary flight feathers contrast with the violet plumage. The red colour in the wings is typical of turacos.
Habitat
It is resident of West Africa, and has an extremely large range from Senegal through to Nigeria, with isolated populations in Chad and the Central African Republic. It occurs in tropical
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
s, wetlands, woodlands and forests.
Diet
Diet consists of fruit, and they are quite partial to figs, but they will also eat leaves, buds, flowers, insects, snails and slugs.
Reproduction
Cooperative breeding
Cooperative breeding is a social system characterized by alloparental care: offspring receive care not only from their parents, but also from additional group members, often called helpers. Cooperative breeding encompasses a wide variety of group s ...
behavior has been observed in captivity in this species. They breed mainly during the rainy season, but the timing varies from place to place. As the breeding starts around April in Senegal and Gambia, while in Nigeria it occurs between June and October.
The female lays two eggs in a flimsy tree platform nest. Both male and female take care of the eggs and hatchlings.
Threats
This species is locally common, but is vulnerable to trapping for the pet trade in
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
,
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...
,
Liberia
Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
and
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
.
Behavior
Turacos are social birds, travelling in flocks of around ten to twelve individuals. They are not strong fliers, preferring to hop along branches. When threatened, they can run quickly through the trees.
The violet turaco has a loud "'" call.
Gallery
Image:Musophaga violacea -Atlanta Zoo, Georgia, USA-8a.jpg, At Atlanta Zoo, Georgia, US
Image:Musophaga violacea-20080321.jpg
Image:MusophagaViolacea.jpg
File:Musophaga violacea.jpg
References
''Birds of The Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley,
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Tauraco
Turacos
Birds of West Africa
violet turaco