The birds, which are the closest relatives of our Russian cuckoos, form a whole family. Banana-eater lives in Africa. Especially a lot of turaco (also called bananoe eaters) south of the Sahara desert. The name of the bird, it would seem, is quite prosaic. But the feather outfit is very attractive, bright and exotic. In most cases, turuko can be called babies. They weigh about 300 grams, and the body length is 40 cm. However, very tall individuals are found - up to 70 cm.
Adults Turaco
The adult bird banana-eater looks very beautiful. The plumage contains the brightest colors: red, yellow, blue, bright green, purple, pink and others. Moreover, the green color of the feathers is given to birds by nature. Banana eaters acquire an emerald shade of wings over time. They share trees containing a special pigment. If an adult banana-eater falls under heavy rain, then his "outfit" becomes dull and inconspicuous.
The bird from the banana-eater family has a long tail and a crest on the head. The beak of turuko is very short, but strong enough and massive. They can live in moist tropical forests and on the plains, as well as in the mountains and savannahs. Completely unpretentious and picky. They may not go down to the ground for a long time from a tree. They hide very skillfully there, freeze, not making a sound. Although in fact, the turaco are very noisy, loud and fussy birds.
A family
It is very difficult to distinguish between a male and a female banana-eater bird. Sexual dimorphism is completely absent. Mother and father work together on the construction of flat, careless, "pigeon" nests. The future nursery resembles a flat platform hidden in the thick of branches. As a rule, the female lays two eggs of white color. Chicks hatch completely naked. They have no bright color yet. They are somewhat reminiscent of cuckoo cubs, only after a couple of days they are covered with dark down, unlike others. The dark outfit will be on the chicks for a long time - almost 2 months.
The development of the embryo, and then the chick, is very slow. Incubation is about 20 days. Only after 6 weeks the chicks begin to try to leave the nest. Moreover, a small bird banana-eater does not know how to fly. On the wings there are small notches with which turuko move through the trees. Chicks do not fly, but climb.
Life span and breeding season
The peak of love and activity of banana-eaters falls on the period from April to July. It is with the advent of heat that birds seek to find a mate. The males scream very loudly, calling the females. Having found the second half, the banana-eater bird is separated from other members of its flock. Two retire, hiding a nest in numerous branches at the very top. For safety, a height of 3 to 5.5 m is selected. Parents are very responsible in raising their offspring. They carefully monitor how the chicks jump from branch to branch. And even up to 10 weeks they feed their cubs.
It is not surprising that banana-eaters live up to 15-17 years. Their life goes in a leisurely rhythm. They hatch eggs for a long time. Their chicks are helpless for a long time. The teenage period also lasts a fairly decent period. Among birds, they are considered centenarians.
Growing generation
Turaco grown up deftly gallop through the trees like squirrels. This is the natural habitat of the banana-eater bird. They rarely leave hatched branches, preferring to spend time movingly and energetically under the protection of thick leaves. The younger generation of banana-eaters stops just for a bite to eat. And even that takes a few seconds. They grab fruit on one tree, immediately jumping to another. The human eye will not be able to keep track of their rapid movement.
The description of the banana-eater bird will be incomplete if you do not talk about the screams that often sound in tropical forests. The voice of the growing Turaco is very loud, loud, sharp and piercing. It cannot be called musical in any way. Unfortunately, these birds do not have vocal abilities.
Food
Do banana eaters really like bananas? The answer is negative. Birds feed on berries, shoots, tree buds and insects. Fruits, of course, are included in the diet, but are not favorite foods. If there is an alternative, a banana-eater will never eat a banana.
Interestingly, some types of banana eaters are able to eat even poisonous fruits. No other birds and animals living nearby will do this. But turuko is not afraid of anything. Birds can tolerate hunger for quite some time. This is due to the fact that in one sitting a bananoe stuffs goiter to the eyeballs with berries from the nearest bush. Eating small reptiles or insects is an exception to the rule.
Character and lifestyle
Turaco is very fond of tall trees. These birds are quite secretive, despite their eccentric and boisterous disposition. Birds hatch in flocks of 12-16 individuals. They do not fly right away, sending scouts. If a bird jumping or just sitting on a branch screams very loudly, then the flight process is carried out in complete silence. This suggests that during the flight banana-eaters feel uncomfortable, are afraid of something and tend to quickly return to their usual habitat.
Shout
If food was found in a flock, then the shy bird will not linger on a bush with a berry for a long time. A banana-eater will just very often visit the found “dining room”. In greater safety, the birds feel on tall trees. And it is from there that loud screams are heard throughout the district. In the photo, the banana-eater bird makes its flight. She seeks to quickly get into the safe zone, because there, above, in the middle of a dense crown, you can chase after each other, flap your wings and shout.
