The Violet Turaco (Musophaga violacea) is a bird. It is also known as the Violaceous Plantain Eater.
The Violet Turaco has glossy, iridescent violet feathers. It has a yellow forehead, a chestnut crown, a red eye-ring, dark eyes, and white ear coverts. It has a thick orange-red beak. It has a long tail.
It grows to about 48 centimetres (19 inches) in length, with a wingspan of 21 centimetres (8 inches).
The Violet Turaco is native to West Africa, in countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, and Chad. It prefers tropical savannahs, wetlands, woodlands, and forests.
Its diet consists of fruit, leaves, buds, flowers, insects, snails, and slugs.
The Violet Turaco is a social bird, often found in small flocks of 10-12 individuals.
The female lays 2 eggs in a tree.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM