FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Discover another set of captivating birds - the enticing, lively, and colorful turacos of Africa. Apart from their unique go-away calls, the turacos are the only birds who are the proud owners of actual red and green color feathers. Their whole body is covered with beautiful green feathers, and the underside of the wings has red feathers. With flexible and energetic outer toes, they can revolve forward and backward.
In South Africa, the Knysna turaco is famously known as Knysna Loerie. It is a large bird species native to Mozambique, South Africa, and Swaziland. It is regarded as a subspecies of the Green turaco of West Africa. The turaco is a resident breeder in eastern and southern South Africa's mature evergreen forests. This distinct bird comes with an attractive vibrant green plumage. One of its unique characteristics is the white tip on the top of its crest. The eyes are brown, and the eye-ring is deep red. A white line is also extended beyond the eyes.
Aren't these birds enchanting? Read on to know more about the Knysna turaco. Hoping to nurture your knowledge more about birds? We have covered with facts about the eared grebe and golden winged warbler.
The turacos belong to the family Musophagidae in which the go-away birds and the plantain eaters are also included. In South Africa, the turacos are often compared to the go-away birds and are popularly known as Loeries. They live in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa and West Africa.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is a bird. It belongs to the class Aves and the family Musophagidae.
The population size of the Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is not known as there are many species of turacos. According to the IOC World Bird List (version 10.1), there are 23 species of turaco in six genera.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is a species of turaco that lives in the woods and mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, as well as Swaziland. They are also found in Mozambique and all the Cape's- Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape.
The resident breeder of mature evergreen forests in southern and eastern South Africa and Swaziland is the Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix). They love the dense and broad-leaved evergreen forests. The Knysna lourie is a non-migratory bird. The Knysna turaco is energetic during the day and is usually seen flying between forest trees or leaping from one branch to another.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is a social bird species often moving around in small noisy flocks. They build their nest alone or in pairs during the breeding season. They are territorial and usually stay and move around with their family groups or pairs.
In captivity, the Knysna lourie bird is known to live for 30 years, while in the wild, it is not known.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) follows monogamous breeding. Their breeding time varies according to location. The female turacos lay only two eggs. The eggs are laid in a shallow platform nest made from sticks and placed in a tree or clump of creepers. Both the parents incubate the eggs for 20-24 days. For 22 days the hatched chicks stay in the nest. They fly when they are 28 days old. The young bird species become independent when they are three weeks old.
The conservation status of the Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) around the world is Least Concern.
The Knysna turaco is a large turaco bird species belonging to the African Musophagidae bird population. It has a 15-16 in long tail. The body is covered with green feathers, and in-flight, the Knysna turaco shows conspicuous crimson primary flight feathers, a pleasing sight to watch. The head comprises a crest that is tipped with white. The eyes are brown and surrounded by red lines and two white lines, below and above. Both the male and females are similar, but the juvenile birds have a shorter crest without the white tips.
The Knysna turaco is a cute and catchy-looking bird. They are large with a short hooked bill in orange-red color. There is a white line just above the red, which reaches out behind the eye.
The Knysna turacos have several vocal sounds. The Knysna turacos are boisterous birds. Their barking and laughing calls are presented in a series of notes. They make a loud 'kow-kow-kow-kow-kow' call. The call of the Knysna turacos is often heard in the morning and evening hours. Other birds present in the vicinity accompany them. The call of the Knysna turaco is generally a territorial call. The quieter and shorter vocal call is a contact call to communicate with each other, especially when showing their aggression and excitement.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is around 15.7-16.5 in (40-42 cm) long. The Knysna turaco is three times smaller than the Livingstone's turaco.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) bird species flies gracefully, but their exact flying speed is not recorded.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) bird weighs around 9.2-13.4 oz (260-380 g).
Females are known as female Knysna turaco, and the male species is known as male Knysna turaco.
The baby Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is known as a chick.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) are omnivores. Their diet is fruit, berries, leaves, seeds, insects, and earthworms.
No, the Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) is not dangerous to humans.
Yes, the Knysna Loerie would make a good pet. They are large, tall, elegant, and crested with a white tip that looks like a crown. The turacos can be seen flying between forest trees and along branches. If you plan to keep them as a pet, keep a watch on their diet.
The Knysna turacos have red feathers on the underside of the wings, which work to get away from predators. The predators focus on the red color when the Knysna turaco flies; and when it bends its wings, the red feathers become concealed. So, they have a chance of escaping.
Turaco chicks are semi-altricial when they are born. The chicks have claws on their wings when they go away from the nest, which assists them in climbing on the branches.
The Knysna turacos' feet are zygodactylous, which means that the outer toe can go rearwards, similar to that of a parrot when it is perching.
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix) spend the day feeding. During intervals, they love basking in the sun. They return to their nest when the sun sets.
In South Africa, the bird family to which the Knysna turaco belongs is known as Loerie. Its international name is famously known as turaco.
The Knysna turaco birds are not only enthralling, but also they have some unique features. They are the only birds with natural green and red colors. What makes the turacos interesting is the two copper pigments present in their feathers. The green pigment is known as turacoverdin, and the red pigment is known as turacin.
The red pigment that is turacin is present in the flight feathers, and it is found to contain 5-8% copper. The watercolor turns pink when stirred with a red turaco feather in a glass of water.
When you look at other birds, the color you see is a refraction of their feathers. But it's not the same with the turacos. The green feathers present in the body of the turacos are due to the presence of copper in the green pigment, turacoverdin. This peculiar feature is not found in any other species.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our American oystercatcher facts and little egret interesting facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Knysna Turaco coloring pages.
https://www.britannica.com/animal/turaco
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turaco
https://www.jungledragon.com/specie/1479/knysna_turaco.html
https://animalia.bio/knysna-turaco
https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8081&start=710
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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