14-8-2017 AMSTERDAM ZOO, NETHERLANDS - VIOLET TURACO (Musophaga violacea)

The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater (Musophaga violacea ), is a large turaco, a group of African otidimorphae.

Spectacular purple turaco with a beautiful facial pattern: a large red-and-yellow bill, red bare skin around the eye, a white patch behind the eye, and a dark red back of the head. Shows large crimson wing patches in flight. Found along forest edge and in gallery forests and lush gardens. Acts like a typical turaco, bouncing through the trees and flying occasionally with short bursts of wingbeats and long glides. Call is a low, rollicking trill that is often given in raucous chorus by a group. Similar to Ross's Turaco, but overlap in range is minimal, and Violet is easily separated by many details of its facial pattern, including its two-colored bill.

These are unmistakable birds, but shy and often inconspicuous in the treetops. They are approximately 48 cm (19 in) long, including a long tail and a 4 cm (1.6 in) bill. They boast a winglength of 21 cm (8.3 in) and weigh approximately 360 g. The plumage is glossy violet, except for the yellow forehead, chestnut crown and white ear coverts; the bill is thick and red. In flight, the violet turaco's crimson primary flight feathers contrast with the violet plumage. The red colour in the wings is typical of turacos.

It is resident in West Africa, and has an extremely large range from Senegal through to the Nigeria, with an isolated population in Chad and Central African Republic. It occurs in tropical savannas, wetlands, woodlands and forests.

Turacos are social birds, travelling in flocks of around ten to twelve individuals. They are not strong fliers but they can run quickly through the branches. Violet turaco has a loud cooroo-cooroo call.

Diet consists of fruit, and they are quite partial to figs, but they will also eat leaves, buds, flowers, insects, snails and slugs.

Cooperative breeding behavior has been observed in captivity in this species. The female lays two eggs in a flimsy tree platform nest.

This species is locally common, but is vulnerable to trapping for the pet trade in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana.