Tauraco livingstonii
The Livingstone's Turaco (Tauraco livingstonii) is an exquisitely colored, medium-sized arboreal bird, renowned for its vibrant emerald green plumage. Measuring 40-45 cm (16-18 inches) in length and weighing between 260-380 g (9-13 oz), this turaco is easily identified by its prominent white-tipped crest, a striking white line below its deep red eye, and a small, bright red bill. In flight, flashes of deep crimson red primary feathers contrast beautifully with its green body, a distinctive fi...
Primarily inhabits evergreen and deciduous forests, riparian woodlands, dense thickets, and coastal dune forests from sea level up to 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) in elevation.
Mainly frugivorous, consuming a wide variety of berries, figs, and other wild fruits. Diet is occasionally supplemented with leaves, flowers, and small invertebrates like insects or snails, all foraged from the tree canopy.
Livingstone's Turacos are diurnal and highly arboreal, spending most of their time moving gracefully through the forest canopy. They are predominantly frugivorous, foraging by plucking fruits, leaves, and flowers from trees, occasionally supplementing their diet with small insects. Pairs are mono...
The Livingstone's Turaco is a resident species distributed across eastern and southeastern Africa, inhabiting a broad band from southeastern Kenya and eastern Tanzania south through Malawi, eastern Zambia, Mozambique, eastern Zimbabwe, and extending into northeastern South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal a...
Least Concern
- Livingstone's Turaco's brilliant green and red coloration comes from unique copper-based pigments, turacoverdin (green) and turacin (red), found only in turacos among all birds. - They are named after the famous Scottish missionary and explorer, David Livingstone, who explored much of central a...