The White-Cheeked Turaco (Tauraco leucotis) is a medium-sized bird in the Musophagidae family. Turacin is the red pigment in its feathers.
The White-Cheeked Turaco has a green forehead, neck, throat, chest, and upperparts. Its rounded crest is glossy dark-blue. Its tail is deep greenish-blue. It has crimson-red underwing feathers. Its cheek is white and its beak is red. It has red eye-rings. Its fourth toe can rotate forward and backward.
It grows to about 43 centimetres (17 inches) tall, including its tail. Its tail measures 19 centimetres (7-8 inches) long. Its crest is 5 centimetres (2 inches) tall.
It is native to the African countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan. It prefers highland forests.
It feeds on fruit and berries, so it is a frugivore.
The White-Cheeked Turaco lives in flocks of up to 12 individuals.
The male and female form a monogamous pair, mating for life. The male and female build a platform nest of twigs together.
The female lays 2-3 eggs, which hatch after 21-24 days. Both parents sit on the eggs. When the chicks hatch, other members of the flock help to look after them. This is called allo-parenting. The chicks can fly after about 28 days, and leave the nest after 42 days.
Its lifespan is approximately 10-12 years.
[Location of photographs: Parc Zoologique de Paris in Bois de Vincennes, France]
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM