Turaco

Fascinating facts about the Turaco

• A turaco's feathers contain two pigments found nowhere else in the bird world: turacin (a copper-based red) and turacoverdin (a copper-based green). These colours wash away in rain—literally. A wet turaco loses its vivid plumage until the pigments dry and harden again, a trade-off few birds accept for such brilliant display.
• Unlike most birds that grip branches with three toes forward and one back, turacos have a reversible fourth toe that can swing either direction. This gives them the climbing grip of a squirrel and the perching stability of a parrot, letting them clamber through rainforest canopies like feathered primates.
• Turacos are nearly silent hunters despite living in noisy African forests. They stalk insects by sound alone—listening for the exact scratch of a beetle or the rustle of a caterpillar—then pluck prey mid-movement with a precision that rivals a flycatcher's reflexes, all while moving through dense fruit trees where sight would fail.
• A turaco's stomach ferments fruit like a cow's stomach ferments grass. They possess an oversized crop that acts as a fermentation chamber, breaking down tough fruit skins and seeds that would pass straight through most birds. This allows them to eat fruits other birds cannot digest, making them a keystone seed disperser for African forest trees.
• Turacos call with a barking, almost mammalian sound—'go-away-go-away'—that carries across the canopy. Local names across Africa translate directly from this call: 'kwarta' means 'turn back.' The warning is so distinctive that other forest animals flee when they hear it, treating the turaco as an early-warning system for predators moving through the trees.

At a glance

About the Turaco

In the lush, emerald canopies of the African forest, the turaco moves with a quiet elegance, its iridescent feathers glimmering like polished jewels as it glides effortlessly from branch to branch. With a soft, whooping call, it announces its presence, a melodic whisper that weaves through the leafy undergrowth, beckoning all to witness its majestic form. As it spreads its vibrant wings, a kaleidoscope of blues and greens dances across its plumage, a breathtaking spectacle that embodies the very essence of this enchanting bird.

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