Lady Ross’s turaco
It is found in woodland, open forest and riparian habitats in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Names:
Lady Ross’s turaco or Ross’s turaco (Musophaga rossae) is a mainly bluish-purple African bird of the turaco family, Musophagidae.
Description:
Lady Ross’s turaco is medium-sized bird, with a long tail and broad, round wings. They have three toes on each foot that point forward, while the fourth toe can be rotated forward or backwards (semi-zygodactylous). Males and females differ in that females may have a greenish beak.
Song:
The call of a turaco sounds like “g’way”, which is why they are often referred to as Go-away birds.
Breeding :
Clutch size is 2 eggs. Incubation is 21-24 days and fledging occurs at 4-7 weeks.Both the male and female share time incubating their clutch. Both parents also feed the downy chicks by regurgitation. They keep the nest clean by eating the eggshells and the chick’s droppings. The chicks will not develop the full adult coloration until about one year.
Interesting facts :
Lady Ross’s turacos are very social birds, moving in small noisy flocks. They spend their life among trees in search of fruit until evening when they nest solitarily on a platform of twigs.These birds have mobile outer toes, which they are able to rotate forward or backward.
Diet for Lady Ross’s turaco:
Primarily eat plants and fruit, but will occasionally eat insects.
In captivity: Supreme fruit pellets, fruit and Paradise Earth Insect Blend.