Violet turaco

Musophaga violacea

Photo by Jim Capaldi (Wikipedia)

Common name:
violet turaco (en); turaco-violeta (pt); touraco violet (fr); turaco violáceo (es); schildturako (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Musophagidae

Range:
This species is found in West Africa, from Senegal to Nigeria and northern Cameroon.

Size:
These birds are 45 cm long and weigh around 360 g.

Habitat:
The violet turaco is found in moist tropical forests and dry savannas, particularly in gallery forests along rivers and along forests edges. Also in rural gardens and in suburban parks and gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:
They feed on various fruits, berries and seeds.

Breeding:
Violet turacos nest in a fragile platform of twigs and sticks in a leafy tree, about 6 m above the ground. There the female lays 2 white eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 25-26 days. there is no information regarding the fledging period, but the chicks are fed by both parents.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be locally common in several areas, and even very common in some places. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.