Turacos live in equatorial Africa, and 23 living species occur in this family. Turacos are the only bird family found in the order Musophagidae. In graduate school, we studied all the orders (41) and many birds’ families, trying to build a broad ornithological knowledge in our education. Turacos are intensely colored, and their feathers contain distinctive pigments found in no other birds. All species have crests and contrasting colors. The literature says that the more outlandishly colored a species is, the harder it seems to see. Recent genetic work still has not resolved the closest relatives of this group, but it is thought to be the cuckoos. I so much wanted to find one.
We found the Great Blue Turaco in several places, and its bright colors always stunned me. They are big birds, more than two feet long and weighing between two and three pounds, yet they move through the trees gracefully and with style. Their flight is swift and direct. They travel in groups of up to six or seven individuals. They pair to nest, but sometimes, extra individuals accompany them. At other times, multiple pairs may nest in the same tree. Much remains unknown about their breeding ecology.
I’d hoped to watch them feeding, but everyone we saw was loafing or moving. These birds eat fruit and occasionally buds, shoots, flowers, and leaves. I have always been fascinated by fruit-eating birds, probably because I spent a decade working on the conservation of one.
#Ugandabirds #UgandaWildlife #Ugandaphotography #Ugandasafari #Turaco
Beautiful birds! Great picture and story. Thanks!
Thank you, Pam. I hope all is well with you.