Purple-crested turaco

Purple-crested turaco
In Harare, Zimbabwe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Musophagiformes
Family: Musophagidae
Genus: Tauraco
Species: T. porphyreolophus
Binomial name
Tauraco porphyreolophus
(Vigors, 1831)

The purple-crested turaco (Tauraco porphyreolophus) is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family. It is the National Bird of the Kingdom of Swaziland, and the crimson flight feathers of this and related turaco species are important in the ceremonial regalia of the Swazi royal family.

Description

This bird has a purple coloured crest above a green head, a red ring around their eyes, and a black bill. The neck and chest are green and brown. The rest of the body is purple, with red flight feathers.

Habitat

They live in moist woodland and evergreen forests. They eat mainly fruit.

Range

It is found in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Their southernmost occurrence is at the Mtamvuna River on the KwaZulu-Natal-Eastern Cape border.[2]

Gallery

References

  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Tauraco porphyreolophus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. Clancey, P. A. (December 1975). "A One-time Mecca for Ornithologists" (PDF). Natalia 5: 29–35. Retrieved 23 December 2013.

(Swazi References - Spring 2012 Clive Humphreys)

External links


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