The Purple-crested turaco occurs from Uganda through Tanzania
to the eastern half of southern Africa, where it is locally common in closed
woodland and coastal forest. It eats almost exclusively fruit, foraging in tree
canopies, perching at the end of branches to pick the fruit directly. The nest
is built by both sexes, with one collecting sticks and handing them to other,
who adds it to the nest. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes,
for 21-23 days. The chicks leave the nest before they can fly, at about 21 days
old, but at about 38 days old, they make they're first flight.
Distribution and habitat
Occurs from Uganda and Tanzania to Mozambique, Zimbabwe,
Swaziland and eastern South Africa. It generally prefers closed
woodland, particularly riverine woodland, although it also occupies thick
scrub and coastal forest.
It eats mainly fruit,
foraging in tree canopies, perching at the end of branches to pick the fruit
directly. The following food items have been recorded in its diet:
The nest is built by both sexes, with one collecting sticks and handing
them to other, who adds them to the nest. It is typically placed in matted
creepers, dense mistletoe or isolated thorn trees.
It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes for 21-23 days.
The chicks are brooded for the first week of their lives, after which
brooding time progressively decreases. The chicks leave the nest before they
can fly, at about 21 days old, taking their first flight approximately 17
days later.
Threats
Might be locally threatened by deforestation, however it
has adapted to human interference better than other turacos, as it has started
to move into suburban gardens and alien vegetation. It is also in demand as a
cage bird, but the impact that this has on its numbers is unknown.
References
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
