BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
TURACOs, GO-AWAY-BIRDS and their Allies
Order Musophagiformes Family Musophagidae
TURACOs, GO-AWAY-BIRDS and their Allies
Order Musophagiformes Family Musophagidae
The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae (literally "banana-eaters"), which also includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as louries. The Go-away-birds and plantain-eaters are mainly gray and white. The turacos on the other hand are brightly coloured birds, usually blue, green or purple. Musophagids often have prominent crests and long tails. They are gregarious birds that do not migrate. Many species are noisy, with the go-away-birds being especially noted for their piercing alarm calls.
Musophagids are medium-sized arboreal birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where they live in forests, woodland and savanna. Their flight is weak, but they run quickly through the tree canopy. They feed mostly on fruits and to a lesser extent on leaves, buds, and flowers, occasionally taking small insects, snails, and slugs Contrary to what the names might suggest, they generally do not eat bananas or plantains .
Genus Corythaeola - 1 species
Turaco,_Great_Blue Corythaeola cristata Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Bernard_Dupont - Uganda 2) Nik_Borrow - Uganda 3) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo 4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo
Genus Corythaixoides
Go-away-bird,_Bare-faced Corythaixoides personatus Found: Africa
Similar to: Gray Go-away-bird. Bare-faced Go-away-bird has bare black or brown face; Gray Go-away-away bird has no black on face. The Brown-faced Go-away-bird is only found in Ethiopia
Image by: 1, 2) DIck Daniels - Tanzania 3, 4, 5) Dick - Keekorok Lodge in the Masai Mara, Kenya 6) Tarique_Sani - Tanzania 7) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania, Ethiopia
7) C. p. leopoldi 8) C. p, personatus
Go-away-bird,_Gray also Gray Lourie Corythaixoides concolor Found: Africa
The Gray Go-away-away Bird has mainly smoky-gray plumage. Named after their "kwey" or "go away" call.
Similar to: Bare-faced Go-away-bird. Bare-faced Go-away-bird has bare black face; Gray Go-away-away Bird has no black on face.
Image by: 1) Arno Meintjes 2) Sandy Cole - Kruger National Park, South Africa 3) Sandy - North Carolina ZooSimilar to: Bare-faced Go-away-bird. Bare-faced Go-away-bird has bare black face; Gray Go-away-away Bird has no black on face.
4) Dick Daniels - Birds of Eden 5) Bernard_Dupont - South Africa 6) Tude e João - South Africa
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Go-away-bird,_White-bellied Corythaixoides leucogaster Found: Africa
The White-bellied Go-away-bird has gray upperparts, neck, upper-breast; white lower-breast, belly; long and pointed dark tail with white median band. Male has black bill; female has green bill.
Image by: 1) Alastair Rae - Kenya 2) Dick
Daniels - San Diego Zoo 3) Dick - National Aviary 4)) Yathin S Krishnappa - Tanzania 5) Lip_Kee - Tanzania
Genus Crinifer
Plantain-eater,_Eastern Crinifer zonurus Found: east central Africa
The Eastern Plantain-eater has mainly gray upperparts spotted with brown; brown streaked with silver head, neck, upper-breast; silver rest of underparts. Unlike the Western Plantain-eater, the Eastern Plantain-eater has white tail bars.
Image by: 1) Charles_J_Sharp - Uganda 2) Noel_Reynolds 3) Francesco_Veronesi - Uganda_female.jpg){kind=link}
Plantain-eater,_Western Crinifer piscator Found: west central Africa
The Western Plantain-eater has mainly blackish upperparts spotted with brown; brown streaked with silver head, neck, upper-breast; silver rest of underparts. Unlike the Western Plantain-eater, the Eastern Plantain-eater has white tail bars.
Image by: 1) Allan_Hopkins - Gambia 2) Frans_Vandewalle - Gambia 3, 4) Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden, South Africa 
Genus Musophaga
Turaco,_Ross's Musophaga rossae Found: Africa
The Ross's Turaco has mainly dark blue plumage; red crown; yellow-orange forehead shield; black legs.
Image by: 1) FunFindsCitations 2) Ed Schipul - Houstan Zoo 3) Ryan Poplin - Columbus Zoo 4) Josh_More
Turaco,_Violet Musophaga violacea Found: Africa
The Violet Turaco has mainly glossy purple plumage; yellow forehead; chestnut crown; white ear-coverts; red bill.
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - Jacksonville Zoo 2, 3) Dick - Birds of Eden, South Africa 4) Thomas_Brown - Gambia 5) Nik_Borrow - Ghana
Genus Ruwenzorornis - 1 species
Turaco,_Ruwenzori Ruwenzorornis johnstoni Found: Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans 2) Michael_Harvey
Genus Tauraco
Turaco,_Bannerman's Tauraco bannermani Found: Cameroon
Image by: 1) netzach 2) Henrik_Gronvold 3) Jose Olivares Compres 4) Nik_Borrow
Turaco,_Black-billed Tauraco schuettii Found: Africa
The Black-billed Turaco has black bill; white-tipped crest.
Image by: 1) Nrg800 2) Mickey Samuni-Blank 3) Nik_Borrow - Uganda
Turaco,_Fischer's Tauraco fischeri Found: Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania
Image by: 1) Naej 2) Doug_Janson 3) belgian chocolate
Turaco,_Green also Guinea Turaco Tauraco persa Found: Africa
The Green Turaco has mainly green plumage; dark purple wings, tail; may be white line front of eye.
Image by: 1, 2) Sandy Cole - Birds of Eden, South Africa 3) Dick Daniels - Birds of
Eden 4) Arthur_Chapman - Birds of Eden
Turaco,_Hartlaub's Tauraco hartlaubi Found: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
Image by: 1) Winfried 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Birds of Eden, South Africa 5) Dick - World of Birds, South Africa 5) Nik_Borrow - Kenya
Turaco,_Knysna also Knysna Lourie Tauraco corythaix Found: South Africa. Swaziland
The Knysna Turaco has mainly green plumage; white line under eye; thick orange-red bill; tall green crest tipped with white; brown eyes; deep red eye-ring;
Image by: 1) Anton Frolich 2) Paul_Bernard - South Africa 3) Brian_Ralphs - Birds of Eden 4) Bernard_Dupont - South Arica
Turaco,_Livingstone's Tauraco livingstonii Found: southeast Africa
Similar to: Schalow's Turaco. The range of Livingston's Turaco and Schalow's do not overlap.
Image by: 1) Netzach 2) Doug_Janson 3) OpenCage 4) Francesco_Veronesi - Malawi 5) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania
Turaco,_Prince Ruspoli's also Ruspoli's Turaco Tauraco ruspolii Found: Ethiopia
Image by: 1) netzach 2) Henrik_Gronvold 3) KrisMaes 4) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia
Turaco,_Purple-crested Tauraco porphyreolophus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) netzach 2, 5) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 3) Sandy Cole - World of Birds, South Africa
4) Dick - Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo 6) Lip_Kee - South Africa
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Turaco,_Red-crested Tauraco erythrolophus Found: western Angola
Image by: 1) Nathan_Rupert 2) Daniel Demczuk 3) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo
Turaco,_Schalow's Tauraco schalowi Found: mainly Angola, southern DR Congo, Zambia
The Schalow's has coppery-green head, breast, manlte; rest dark iridescent blue.
Similar to: Livingston's Turaco. The range of Livingston's Turaco and Schalow's do not overlap.
Image by: 1) Nrg800 2, 3) Nik_Borrow - Malawi, Tanzania 4) Francesco_Veronesi - Malawi 5) Steve_Garvie - KenyaSimilar to: Livingston's Turaco. The range of Livingston's Turaco and Schalow's do not overlap.
Turaco,_White-cheeked Tauraco leucotis Found: Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - National Aviary 3) Sandy Cole - National Aviary 4) Nik_Borrow - Ethiopia
Turaco,_White-crested Tauraco leucolophus Found: Nigeria, Kenya
Image by: 1) Steve Wilson 2) Brian 3) Russ_Glasson - Nashville Zoo
Turaco,_Yellow-billed Tauraco macrorhynchus Found: Africa
Image by: 1) Nrg800 2) Francesco_Veronesi - Ghana 3) Nik_Borrow - Ghana
