Theturacos make up thebird familyMusophagidae (/ˌmjuːzoʊˈfædʒɪdiː/ "banana-eaters"), which includesplantain-eaters andgo-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known asloeries. They aresemi-zygodactylous: the fourth (outer) toe can be switched back and forth. The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species. Musophagids often have prominentcrests and long tails; the turacos are noted for peculiar and uniquepigments giving them their bright green and red feathers.
Traditionally, this group has been allied with thecuckoos in theorderCuculiformes, but theSibley-Ahlquist taxonomy raises this group to a full orderMusophagiformes. They have been proposed tolink thehoatzin to the other living birds,[1] but this was later disputed.[2] Recent genetic analyses have strongly supported the order ranking of Musophagiformes.[3][4][5]
Musophagidae is one of very few bird families endemic to Africa,[6] one other being themousebirds, Colliidae. All species arefrugivorous, but they also eat leaves, buds, and flowers.Figs are an important part of their diet. They have rounded wings and long tails and strong legs, making them poor fliers, but good runners.[6]
Turacos are medium-sized arboreal birdsendemic tosub-Saharan Africa, where they live inforests,woodland andsavanna. Turacos can occasionally be found outside of their native range as escapes from captivity.[7]
They aregregarious, non-migratory birds which move in family groups of up to 10. Many species are noisy, with the go-away-birds being especially noted for their piercingalarm calls, which alert otherfauna to the presence ofpredators; their common name isonomatopoeia of this. Musophagids build large stick nests in trees, and lay 2 or 3 eggs. The young are born with thick down and open, or nearly-open, eyes.[8]
Most turacos are medium-sized birds – an exception being the largegreat blue turaco – with long tails and short, rounded wings. They range in length from 40 to 75 cm (16–30 in). Their flight is weak, but they are strong climbers and are able to move nimbly on branches and through vegetation. Juveniles have claws on the wings that help them climb.[9][10][11] They have a unique foot arrangement, where the fourth toe can be brought around to the back of the foot where it almost touches the first toe, or brought around so that it is near the second and third. In spite of this flexibility the toe is actually usually held at right angles to the axis of the foot.[12]
The plumage of go-away-birds and plantain-eaters is mainly grey and white. The turacos on the other hand are brightly coloured birds, usually blue, green or purple. The green colour in turacos comes fromturacoverdin, the only true green pigment in birds known to date. Other "greens" in bird colors result from a yellow pigment such as somecarotenoid, combined with the prismatic physical structure of the feather itself which scatters the light in a particular way and giving a blue colour.
Turaco wings contain the red pigmentturacin, unlike in other birds where red colour is due to carotenoids. Both pigments are derived fromporphyrins and only known from the Musophagidae into the 21st century, but especially the little-researched turacoverdin might have relatives in other birds. The incidence of turacoverdin in relation to habitat is of interest to scientists, being present in forest species but absent in savanna- and acacia-living species.[12]
Little is known about the longevity of wild turacos, but in captivity they are proving to be exceptionally long-lived, easily living to 30 years in captivity. A bird in theCotswold Wildlife Park collection in England approached its 37th year.[13]
Further fossil material of putative musophagids was found in Egypt as well as inLate Oligocene deposits atGaimersheim in Germany and Middle Miocene deposits atGrive-Saint-Alban[15] andVieux-Collonges (each in France).[14] While it is not entirely certain that these fossils are indeed of turacos, it nonetheless appears as if the familyevolved in theOligocene of central Europe or perhaps northern Africa, and later on shifted its distribution southwards. The climate of those European regions during the latePaleogene was not too dissimilar to that of (sub)tropical Africa today; the Saharan desert was not yet present and the distance across the Mediterranean was not much more than what it is today. Thus such a move south may well have been a very slow and gradual shifting of a large and continuous range.
TheEarly EocenePromusophaga was initially believed to be the oldest record of the turacos; it was eventually reconsidered a distant relative of the ostrich and is now in theratite familyLithornithidae.Filholornis from the Late Eocene or Early Oligocene of France is occasionally considered a musophagid, but its relationships have always been disputed. It is not often considered a turaco in more recent times and has beensynonymised with the presumedgruiformTalantatos, though it is not certain whether this will become widely accepted.[14]
The IOC World Bird List (version 10.1) recognises 23 species of turaco in six genera. However, a phylogenetic analysis by Perktaş et al (2020) found genusTauraco polyphyletic and a revised classification has been proposed based on molecular, morphological and biogeographic analysis.[17] This study recognised 33 species-level taxa in seven genera corresponding to the major clades. The following phylogenetic tree is based on this proposal and uses their proposed genus and species names;[17] and has been largely accepted by more recent versions of the IOC World Bird List, except thatProturacus is retained withinTauraco.[18]
^Broader definition ofCrinifer proposed, becauseCorythaixoides leucogaster is recovered with theCrinifer species rather than the otherCorythaixoides species
^abcdeProposed species split based on phylogenetic species principle.
^Elevation of former subspecies to new species proposed becauseTauraco schuettii was found to be polyphyletic.
^Elevation of former subspecies to new species proposed becauseTauraco livingstonii was found to be polyphyletic.
^abcProposed species split ofTauraco schalowi complex into four species based on phylogenetic species principle.
^Proposed recognition of genusProturacus for a clade ofTauraco bannermani,Tauraco erythrolophus andTauraco leucolophus.
^Proposed genus for clade of formerTaurico species
^Proposed genus for clade of formerTaurico andRuwenzorornis species
The crimson flight feathers of turacos have been treasured as status symbols to royalty andparamount chiefs all over Africa. They are recorded as being valued by the Swazi and Zulu royal families.[21] British ornithologistConstantine Walter Benson, who collected heavily in Africa, is alleged to have tasted every species he collected; he claimed that turacos tasted the best.[22]
Ballmann, Peter (1969). "Les Oiseaux miocènes de la Grive-Saint-Alban (Isère) [The Miocene birds of Grive-Saint-Alban, Isère]".Geobios.2:157–204.doi:10.1016/S0016-6995(69)80005-7. (French with English abstract)
Newton, Alfred (1911)."Touracou" . InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 102. This is based on a now outdated classification, but does provide a detailed description of the morphology of some species.
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