Turaco chicks have a tiny claw on the end of each wing that helps them climb on twigs near their nest.

Fossil evidence dates the turaco’s evolutionary history back to the Cretaceous period, where scientists argue its branch-off from the cuckoo (Cuculiformes) lineage.

The white-crested turaco is neither threatened nor endangered. For many turaco species, their primary threat is humankind. They are hunted both for meat and feathers, particularly their brilliant red flight-feathers, worn by members of some African tribes.

White-crested turacos live in some of the most forested regions of sub-Saharan Africa, from southeast Nigeria to west Kenya. Types of terrain occupied by these birds include open woodland, gallery and riverine forests.

Turacos are frugivorous (fruit-eating). Their diet relies heavily on the variety of fruits native to sub-Saharan Africa. They will also eat caterpillars, moths, beetles, snails, slugs, termites, and to a lesser extent foliage, flowers, and buds.

Turacos rank among the most colorful birds in Africa. A white-crested turaco has a vibrant shade of dark blue body feathers and lime green plumage on its breast. White feathers extend around the face and then up behind the head in the shape of a Mohawk. Black sits above the beak and between the eyes, where red-bare orbital skin surrounds each eye.

For zoologists, the turaco’s most distinctive feature, apart from the copper pigments, is its semi-zygodactylous toes. Each foot has a pair of toes that face forward and a pair that face backwards (8 toes in all), but turacos have a more flexible toe on the rear of each claw that can move to the side. This flexibility makes for easy grip and tree-climbing.

Scientists have long debated the superficial resemblances between turacos and cuckoos. The turaco has several distinctions that differentiate it from the cuckoo, including the possession of copper pigmentation and semi-zygodactylous toes. Genetically, turacos have more in common with Strigiformes (owls) or Caprimulgiformes (“nightbirds”). Additionally, the family name, “Musaphaga,” means “plantain-eaters,” but turacos do not incorporate plantains or wild bananas into their diet, despite their fruit-eating tendencies.