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Knysna turaco - Wikipedia

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(Redirected from Knysna lourie)

Knysna turaco

Pair
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Musophagiformes
Family:	Musophagidae
Genus:	Tauraco
Species:	T. corythaix
Binomial name
*Tauraco corythaix* (Wagler, 1827)

Range of the Knysna turaco: subspp. corythaix (south) and phoebus (north)

The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix), or, in South Africa, Knysna loerie, is a large turaco, one of a group of African musophagidae birds. It is a resident breeder in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, and Eswatini. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the green turaco of West Africa. The Livingstone's and Schalow's turacos were once considered subspecies.^[2]

This species lays two eggs in a shallow platform nest made from sticks and placed in a tree or clump of creepers.

Within its range, this is an unmistakable bird, although often inconspicuous in the treetops. It is 40–42 cm long, including a long tail. The small but thick orange-red bill and a white line just under the eye contrast with the mainly green plumage. It has a tall green crest, which is tipped with white. The eye is brown and the eye-ring deep red. In flight, Knysna turaco shows conspicuous crimson primary flight feathers. Sexes are similar, but juvenile birds have a shorter crest without the white tips.

The Knysna turaco is usually seen flying between forest trees, or hopping along branches. It feeds on fruit, insects and earthworms. It has a loud kow-kow-kow-kow call.

This bird family is known as Loeries in South Africa, but the international name is Turaco. Turacos (the 10 species of the Tauraco and the 2 of the Musophaga) are the only birds to possess true red and green colour. When you look at most birds, the color you are seeing is a reflection produced by the feather structure. The turaco's red pigment (turacin) and green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper. In fact, if you stirred a glass of water with a red turaco feather, the water would turn pink! In museum species, the pigments deepen with age because the copper begins to oxidize. These birds manage to maintain their colours throughout the year. The Knysna Loerie is thought to use its red wing feathers to escape predators. Indeed, when it flies, the predators tend to focus on the most visible colour and follow the red patch. As the Loerie lends and folds its wings, the red feathers of the wings become invisible and the Loerie has a chance of escaping unseen. ^[3]

Images

At Birds of Eden, in the Eastern Cape
At Knysna, in the Western Cape
The vivid plumage is still an effective camouflage in its native habitat
Eggs of Tauraco corythaix MHNT

References

^ BirdLife International (2018). "Tauraco corythaix". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22688335A130124892. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22688335A130124892.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^ Roberts 6
^ "Knysna Loerie". birdsofeden.co.za. Retrieved 23 July 2020.

Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton, SASOL Birds of Southern Africa (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1

External links

Knysna turaco - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tauraco corythaix.

Birds of Eden - [1].

v t e Turacos (family: Musophagidae)
Genus	Species
Tauraco	Guinea turaco Zenker's Turaco Livingstone's turaco Schalow's turaco Knysna turaco Black-billed turaco White-crested turaco Fischer's turaco Yellow-billed turaco Bannerman's turaco Red-crested turaco Hartlaub's turaco Violet turaco Ross's turaco
Gallirex	Purple-crested turaco Rwenzori turaco
Menelikornis	White-cheeked turaco Ruspoli's turaco
Crinifer	Western plantain-eater Eastern plantain-eater Bare-faced go-away-bird Grey go-away-bird White-bellied go-away-bird
Corythaeola	Great blue turaco

Taxon identifiers
Tauraco corythaix	Wikidata: Q937505 Wikispecies: Tauraco corythaix ADW: Tauraco_corythaix Avibase: 45CE1202440B9385 BirdLife: 22688335 BOW: knytur1 CoL: 54Z7N eBird: knytur1 GBIF: 2475250 iNaturalist: 7205 IRMNG: 10975806 ITIS: 555330 IUCN: 22688335 NCBI: 119413 Observation.org: 72093 Open Tree of Life: 772743 Paleobiology Database: 399901 Species+: 8699 Xeno-canto: Tauraco-corythaix

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