White-crested Turaco
Tauraco leucolophus
Beautiful turaco with a mostly white head, a black mark above the eye, dark blue wings and tail, and a green back and underparts. Like all turacos, shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found in lush woodland and riverine forest. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Call is a rising “whuup” followed by an accelerating series of gruff “krow” notes. Similar overall to other turacos, but easily separated by the white crest.
Identification
This distinctive bird has glossy, bluish-black upperparts which contrast markedly with its white crest, cheeks, neck and throat. It possesses a green mantle around the shoulders and violet wing coverts and rectrices.
Taxonomy
The white-crested turaco was first described in 1855 by the German explorer and ornithologist Theodor von Heuglin. Genetic studies show that this species is closely related to the red-crested turaco (Tauraco erthrolophus) and Bannerman's turaco (Tauraco bannermanii), having diverged from them in the late Pliocene. At that time, climatic changes occurred which subsequently led to increasingly arid conditions, a decrease in forest cover and an increase in wooded savannah. The white-crested turaco maintained a widespread distribution, perhaps by adapting to new habitats, while Bannerman's turaco became restricted to montane habitats where the forest cover remained.
- Scientific name
- Tauraco leucolophus
- Authority
- (Heuglin, 1855)
- Order
- Musophagiformes
- Family
- Musophagidae
- Genus
- Tauraco
Range and habitat
The white-crested turaco is native to Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. It occurs in lowland forests, woodland and savannah, and in hilly habitats up to an altitude of about 2,200 m (7,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The white-crested turaco typically inhabits forests alongside rivers and wooded savannahs, particularly where there are tangled masses of creepers. It mostly eats berries and fruits, but also consumes flowers and invertebrates such as snails. The breeding season varies across the range, being April in the Congo and August in Uganda. The nest is a rather insubstantial, saucer-shaped structure.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pied Monarch
Arses kaupi
Small black-and-white flycatcher found in wetter forests of northern Queensland. White underparts except for black breast band, with black mask, tail, and wings, blue eyering, and back back with white band. Rear of head has large puffy white collar (like a space helmet). Compare Frill-necked Monarch, which lacks black breast band and has more black under chin. Forages treecreeper-style, moving up and down tree trunks looking for insects in the bark. Calls include a fast repeated whistle.
Planalto Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus pelzelni
Small antshrike found in the lower and middle levels of dry forests and at the edge of humid forests. Males are gray overall with a black crown, and white-spotted black wings and tail. Females have a rusty crown, back, and tail, are buff below with white spots on the wings. The song is a loud and long series of around 20 descending notes that accelerate in pace. Doesn’t overlap in range with similar Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike and is told from Variable Antshrike by paler gray plumage in males and richer rufous color in females.
Indian Cuckooshrike
Coracina macei
A large gray cuckooshrike with a strong, hooked bill. Upperparts are mostly gray with black primaries; male darker than female. Note pale patch on back and white tail tips when bird is in flight. Male is gray with a lightly barred white belly. Female has denser barring that transitions to a white lower belly and undertail. Both sexes have a dark patch from the bill to slightly behind the eye, giving a masked impression. Juvenile is brownish, heavily scaled with whitish-buff, and mottled on the underparts. Immature has broader white edges to wing feathers. Vocal. Often gives a two-noted, rather nasal “gii-yaak,” uttered in flight as well as from a perch; also gives scratchy squeal calls. Inhabits lightly wooded country, avoiding wet forests.
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