The Guinea turaco, also known as the green turaco or green lourie, is a species of turaco, a group of African otidimorph birds. It formerly included the Livingstone's, Schalow's, Knysna, black-billed and Fischer's turacos as subspecies.
Region
West Africa into western Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea through Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to Togo, Benin, Nigeria and western Cameroon, including Bioko. Prefers lowland evergreen and moist semi-deciduous forests, gallery forests, and forest edges. It also uses secondary growth, wooded farmland, and plantations with fruiting trees. Often found in riverine belts and in canopy or midstory layers where fruit is plentiful.
Altitude Range
0–2200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Turacos are unique for their copper-based pigments: turacoverdin (true green) and turacin (deep crimson), which are rare among birds. The Guinea turaco flashes bright red flight feathers in flight, a key field mark in forest canopies. It is largely non-migratory and adapts well to edges and secondary growth where fruiting trees are abundant.
T. persa buffoni. It is the only subspecies without a white line below the eye
Temperament
shy but gregarious in small groups
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with gliding between trees
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family parties moving through the canopy. Monogamous pairs build a flimsy stick nest in dense foliage. Clutch is typically two eggs, and both parents share incubation and chick feeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Loud, resonant series of barking or cackling notes that carry far through forest. Also gives harsh croaks and chattering calls during group movements.
Plumage
Rich green body and crest with violet-blue mantle and tail; primaries and secondaries show brilliant crimson panels visible in flight.
Diet
Primarily eats a variety of fruits and berries, including figs, drupes, and cultivated fruits when available. Also takes flower buds and young leaves, and occasionally small invertebrates. Swallows fruit whole and later regurgitates seeds, acting as an important seed disperser. Forages deliberately, often pausing to pluck fruit from clusters.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mostly in the canopy and upper midstory of forests and wooded edges. Will venture into secondary growth, riverine strips, and orchards or plantations with fruiting trees.
