Tauraco leucolophus
The White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus) is an emerald jewel of the Afromontane forests, renowned for its striking appearance and unique pigments. This medium-sized arboreal bird measures approximately 40-43 cm (16-17 inches) in length, including its long tail, and typically weighs between 200-290 grams. Its most prominent feature is the upright, brush-like white crest, sharply contrasting with its glossy black bill and a vivid red eye-ring, which serves as a key identification mark. Th...
This species primarily inhabits moist evergreen forests, gallery forests, and woodlands, often favoring mid-elevation areas between 1,000 and 2,700 meters above sea level.
The White-crested Turaco is primarily frugivorous, feeding on a wide variety of fruits, berries, and figs, supplemented occasionally with flowers, buds, and small insects. It forages mostly in the upper and middle canopy of trees.
White-crested Turacos are highly arboreal and diurnal, spending almost their entire lives in the forest canopy, rarely descending to the ground. They are usually observed in pairs or small family groups, agilely moving through the branches using their strong legs and semi-zygodactyl feet. Their f...
The White-crested Turaco is endemic to East and Central Africa, inhabiting a relatively restricted range primarily in the Great Rift Valley region. Its distribution spans eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, southern South Sudan, Uganda, and western Kenya. Within Uganda, they are widespread in f...
Least Concern
- The striking red pigment in their wings, called turacin, contains copper, making turacos one of the few bird species with metal-based pigments. - The emerald green color of their plumage comes from turacoverdin, which is the only true green pigment known in birds, unlike most green birds which ...