Black-billed Touraco Tauraco shuitti.

The Grey Plantain-eaters are one oj"the uncommonly kept oftouracos in captivity. This is the Western Grey piscator.

The Barefaced Go-away Corythaixoides personata is anotherone of the uncommon touracos. They do not have the green body coloration ofthe more common species.

40 November / December 1994 open and they are covered with a black down. When the young reach the age of around ten days, their bill darkens and the egg tooth is shed. They develop very rapidly and, sur­ prisingly, leave the nest before they are fully fledged.

Great Blue TOUl-aCO (Corythaeola cristata) This large, beautiful bird lives in the rainforests and gallery forests from Guinea, Sudan, Zaire, Uganda, Tanza­ nia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola. The Great Blue has not been reared wuracos in American aviculture because there is a very limited number of kept by Leon Milne here. This bird needs a lot of care and Fallbrook, California may be suitable only for the more experienced touraco breeder.

Lady Ross's Touraco (Musophaga rossae) This touraco is indigenous to The family ofMusophagidae is com­ group is also known to eat leaf matter, Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon and the prised oftouracos, Plantain-eaters and so finely grated broccoli sprinkled into Central African Republic. This species Go-away Birds which are native only the mix of fruit will be enjoyed. Dog also occurs in small areas of the Ivory to Africa. There are 20 different spe­ pellets (bite sized) can also be given. Coast and Ghana. cies in this group. Most species can be A pinch or two of calcium mixed into This species was bred for the first acquired in American aviculture. The the fruit mix should be given every time in the U.S. at the Houston Zoo in family of touracos must be surgically day because very little or no calcium 1979. This species is becoming diffi­ sexed to guarantee that one has a true will cause eggs to be laid without their cult to acquire. Those in captivity are, pair. Most bright colors in birds are outer shells. Vitamin powder should however, reproducing more consis­ produced physically by refraction be added two to three times a week as tently. from microscopic feather structures, well. however, the greens and reds of the The touraco family is known to have Violacious Plantain-eater touracos are true pigments. The rich one to three (usually two) off-white (Musophaga violacea) red pigments are called turacin and eggs. They are laid at two day inter­ This bird lives in Senegal, Gambia, the greens, turacoverdin. In museum vals. Both parents share duties in the Guinea and Nigeria. It also occurs specimens, the red deepens with age, incubation ofthe eggs and in the feed­ south to the Ivory Coast and Ghana. for the copper in turacin darkens as it ing of the young. The shortest incuba­ The Violet Plantain-eater was first slowly oxidizes. tion period for touracos (Hartlaub's) is bred in 1985 at the Brookfield Zoo. Touracos can be kept with many dif­ 20 days and the longest period in this This mostly glossy, blue bird is fairly ferent species of birds. The more family is 31 days for the Great Blue common but can become quite flighty planted and larger the aviary, the Touraco which is the largest of all the in your aviary. more species you can put in it. It is not touracos. In the wild, these birds nest wise to put two different pairs of tour­ on a platform made up ofsticks which Purple-crestedTouraco acos in the same aviary. The touracos is lined with twigs. In American avi­ (Musophaga porphyreolopha) love to run along the perch and when culture, there are many different nests The range of this bird is from Kenya, gliding from limb to limb, one can see that can be suitable for the touracos. Uganda, Tanzania and eastern South the full splendor of their crimson red First, a good size wicker basket and/ Africa. wings. If you look close enough, or a wooden box, one foot in diameter The Purple-crested Touraco was first you'll observe that they can direct and at least four inches deep (to bred in 1979 at the Houston Zoo. their outer toe either backward or for­ ensure the eggs cannot fall out), can These birds can now be acquired by ward as do owls and ospreys. Toura­ be used. The box should be lined with the private breeder but they are often cos in the wild are found from sea sticks, twigs and dried grass. Lining of ,..- _ level to as high as 11,000 feet. They the box is very essential to the survival are known to be hardy and can with­ of the babies, because they have been T1JeJeriWTlgbtWrightRoon stand cool temperatures. known to develop spradle legs with­ (201)'838-9802 1 The diet of a touraco consists of out it. The nest should be placed as NOW HAND-FEEDING Hyacinths & other maCllWS, Cockatoos diced papaya, canteloupes, grapes, high in the aviary as possible to guar­ Conures & Amazons Mexican bananas, figs, apples, gua­ antee the birds will feel secure. When Domestic, Close-Banded Roudybush Distributor vas, ripe mangoes and berries. This the young hatch, their eyes are already

afa WATCHBIRD 41 difficult to find. Very few are im­ Fischer's Touraco Hartlaub's Touraco ported. (Tauracofiscberi) (Tauraco bartlaubi) This species of touraco occurs in The range of this bird is from Tanza­ Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. The nia, extending into Uganda and Rwenzori TOUl'aCO subspecies Tf zanzibaricus is a resi­ Kenya. (Musopbagajobnstoni) dent ofthe island ofZanzibar. The Hartlaub's Touraco was first This species occurs in the Rwenzori The Fischer's Touraco was just bred bred at the Bronx Zoo in 1974. This Mountains of Uganda and is also recently in 1991 by Sid Milne, a private bird is one of my favorites because of found in the slopes of the Birungo breeder, in Fallbrook, California. its beautiful color and its availability. It Volcanoes in southwestern Uganda. can be a little flighty, however. They have rarely been imported and it's probable that there are none in Ruspoli's Touraco captivity in the U.S. at the present (Tauraco ruspollii) White-crested Touraco time. Of the entire touraco family, this This bird is only found in a small (Tauraco leucolopbus) bird lives up to the highest elevation area in Ethiopia. Its range is from southern Sudan and of 11,000 feet. The Ruspoli's Touraco is a very rare Uganda to western Kenya. bird and has not been kept in avicul­ This touraco was first bred in 1977 at ture. the Houston Zoo. This bird is cher­ Red-crested To'uraco ished by both zoos and private collec­ (Tauraco erytbrolopbus) Green (Guinea)Touraco tions. Within this species, there are This bird is indigenous only to (Tauracopersa) more females than males. Angola. It is common in the forests of Gam­ The first successful breeding was at bia, Guinea-bissau and sweeping Black-billedTouraco the Washington D.C. Zoo in 1969. through the coastal countries of (Tauraco scbuitti) This touraco is also a good species to Guinea to Nigeria. It is also found in The range of this bird is from Zaire, start with, because of its great beauty Cameroon, Central African Republic, Angola, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, and it is very placid. Gabon, Congo and northern Angola. Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and it This bird was first bred in 1980 by extends into the Central African the Houston Zoo, and is now quite Republic. White-cheekedTouraco common in aviaries in North America. This is a bird you don't see too often (Tauraco leucotis) It is mostly covered with a grass green in private aviaries. It is quite shy and This species is indigenous to Ethio­ color and can be identified easily by delicate and should not be a bird for pia and Sudan. its completely green crest. beginners. This touraco was first bred in the 1960s by Edgar Marshall Bohem and Buffon's Touraco Livingston's Touraco the subspecies Tl. donaldsoni was (Tauracop. buffoni) (Tauracop. livingstonii) first bred in 1932 by Alex Isenberg. Its range is from Liberia, Senegal The Livingston's are indigenous to These are great touracos to start with and Gambia. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozam­ for a beginner. This bird was first bred between bique, Malawi and Tanzania. 1985 and 1986 by the Houston Zoo. This species, to my knowledge, has This touraco is fairly uncommon and not bee bred in the U.S. Even though Yellow-billedTouraco can easily be mistaken for the Guinea this bird is quite common in aviaries, (Tauraco macrorbyncbus) Touraco, Tp. persa. they tend to require more care than This bird is found only in west Africa other species oftouracos. from GUinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast to Ghana and subspecies Shalow's Touraco Grey Go-away Bird Tm. verreauxii is found in Nigeria, (Tauraco p. sbalowi) (Corytbaixoides concolor) Cameroon, Gabon, the Congo, Angola This bird is from Kenya, Tanzania, This bird is indigenous to Angola, and a small island called Bioko. Zambia and Malawi. Namibia, Bostwana, Zambia, Zim­ It has been imported into Europe a The first breeding of this bird was at babwe, Zaire, Malawi, Tanzania, few times and has not yet been estab­ the Seattle Zoo in 1975. This beautiful Mozanbique and South Africa. lished in American aviculture. touraco is very popular for a private This mostly grey bird was first bred collection. at the Houston Zoo in 1969. The Grey Go-away Bird s fairly common but is Bannerman's Touraco Knysna Touraco not popular because of its color. (Tauraco bannermani) (Tauracop. corytbaix) This bird's range is only found in a The range of this touraco is from Bare-faced Go-away Bird small area in Cameroon. South Africa to Zululand. (Corytbaixoidespersonata) As Fry, Keith and Urban says, The Knysna Touraco was first bred The range of this bird is from Tanza­ "unless Oku Forest is conserved, this in the 1960s by Alene Erlanger who nia, Kenya, Zambia and Zaire. species will almost certainly not sur­ .was a private collector. This bird is There are very few birds of this spe­ vive." This species has not been kept now very rare, even in zoo collec­ cies in the zoos and even less in pri­ in aviculture as it is near extinction. tions. vate aviaries. Although this species is 42 November / December 1994 j unusual in appearance, it is still very beautiful. Judge us by the company we keep Western GreyPlantain-eater (Criniferpiscator) The range of this bird is from Mauri­ tiana and Senegambia to Sierra Leone. It is also found in coastal Liberia, Cen­ tral African Republic, Congo and Zaire. This Plantain-eater is a very unusual looking bird and is very uncommon in private collections. If this bird is not worked with by breeders, we may see it disappear from private aviculture as did the Knysna (Tp. corythaix) and the Donaldson's White-cheeked (Tf. donaldsoni) Touraco. It was first bred USDA • US. Center for Disease Control • Mayo Clinic • Saudi Royal Family at the Houston Zoo in 1990. Sloan-Kettering Institute • Walt Disney World • Busch Gardens • Opryland Six Flags • Lion Country Safari • US. Army • US. Air Force • VA Hospitals Eastern Grey Plantain-eater Countless Zoos • Universities and Game Preserves throughout the Free World (Crinifer zonorus) The distribution is from Chad, Write for our free catalog! Sudan, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Tanza­ nia, Uganda, Rwanda to Burundi. This Plantain-eater is very uncom­ The Humidaire Incubator Company mon in private and zoo collection and Department W, P.O. Box 9, New Madison, OH 45346-0009 has not been recorded to have been bred in the U.S. (513) 996-3001 • FAX (513) 996-3633 White-bellied Go-away Bird Serving the world for 61 years (Criniferoides leucogaster) This Go-away Bird is from Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and the Sudan. The vely rare White-bellied was first bred in the 1930s by Alex Isenberg. There are quite a few specimens around the zoos today but"are less common in the hands of private breeders.

General Notes The first breedings of the touracos related in this article are only for the United States. The greatest success of these birds has been from the Hous­ ton Zoo. If you are a beginner, please do not be discouraged. These birds can be bred if dedication and tender loving care are given to them. These touracos can be very rewarding for many reasons, but especially for their beauty and splendor. References c. Hilary Fry, Stuart Keith and Emil K. Urban, 1988, The Birds ojAj"rica, Volume 3. Austin, O.L., 1961, Birds of the World, Golden Press, ew York. Lindholm III, J.H., 1987, Touraco propagation in zoos, (the IZY Breeding Records; 1959-1981) H017eycreeperlI (No. 1) 15-22. Beny T. Roben, 1979, Touracos, tbe AFA Watch­ bird, Vol. VI, No.4.•

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