Alternative names: Great Turaco; Blue Plantain-eater; Great Blue Plantain-eater
- Corythaeola cristata
Identification
Length 75 cm; by far the largest Turaco.
Turquoise-blue with a large black crest and broad black band at the end of the long tail. Unlike other Turacos, which have crimson primaries, the whole wing is blue.
Distribution
Lowland rainforests of w and central tropical Africa.
Western Africa: Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, DRC, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania
African Islands: Gulf of Guinea Islands, Bioko (Fernando Po)
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Birds from eastern Africa were formerly separated in the subspecies yalensis.
Habitat
Forest canopy; also canopy of tall trees in secondary growth.
Behaviour
Usually in groups of five to eight.
Diet
Feeds mainly on fruits but takes also buds, shoots, leaves, flowers and some insects.
Breeding
Breeding season differs through range. Probably a monogamous species, but pairs often accompanied by a third bird. Sometimes up to three pairs breed in the same nest tree. The nest is a platform made of dry sticks with a shallow rim. It's placed in a tall leafy tree, often over water. Lays generally two eggs.
Movements
The groups maintain their territories throughout year. Several groups often come together at large fruiting trees near borders of their territories.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1997. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334221
- Avibase
- Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Great Blue Turaco. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Great_Blue_Turaco
