Violet Turaco
Tauraco violaceus
Spectacular purple turaco with a beautiful facial pattern: a large red-and-yellow bill, red bare skin around the eye, a white patch behind the eye, and a dark red back of the head. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found along forest edge and in gallery forest and lush gardens. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Call is a low, rollicking trill that is often given in raucous chorus by a group. Similar to Ross’s Turaco, but overlap in range is minimal, and Violet is easily separated by many details of its facial pattern, including its two-colored bill.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Tauraco violaceus
- Authority
- (Isert, 1788)
- Order
- Musophagiformes
- Family
- Musophagidae
- Genus
- Tauraco
Range and habitat
It is resident of West Africa, and has an extremely large range from Senegal through to the Nigeria, with isolated populations in Chad and the Central African Republic. It occurs in tropical savannas, wetlands, woodlands and forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Turacos are social birds, travelling in flocks of around ten to twelve individuals. They are not strong fliers, preferring to hop along branches. When threatened, they can run quickly through the trees. The violet turaco has a loud "cooroo-cooroo" call.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dideric Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx caprius
A small, greenish cuckoo. The male has barred flanks, white flecking on the wing, white patches in front of and behind the eye, and a distinctly red eye surrounded by a red eye-ring. The bronzy-green female has a diagnostic white patch in front of the eye, a plain back, and white patches in the wings. This common resident and migrant is not a habitat specialist, but it prefers riverine and wetland areas where its preferred brood-parasite hosts, weavers and bishops, are common. The distinctive call is a loud, rising, high-pitched “deee-deee-deee-deee-dederik”.
Whistling Warbler
Catharopeza bishopi
A small charming inhabitant of woodland tangles and dense undergrowth. Plumage striking slate and white with a bold white eyering. Note distinctive pattern of black chin, white upper breast and blackish lower breast. No similar species within its range. Often has tail cocked upright. Song is a cascade of loud whistled notes, with pace typically slowing towards end as notes grow louder; sometimes given in rapid succession resulting in a more jumbled pattern.
Rufous-headed Tailorbird
Phyllergates heterolaemus
A small, long-billed, long-tailed bird of montane forest and scrub on Mindanao, with an olive back, wings, and tail, a yellow belly, a rufous head, and a pale buff throat and chest. Often cocks its tail. Juvenile has an olive rather than rufous head. Similar in shape and habits to other tailorbirds on Mindanao, but occurs at higher elevations, and has a yellow belly and rufous head. Song consists of very short, well spaced, varied phrases of fairly long, high-pitched piping notes.
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