The yellow-billed turaco is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
Region
West and Central Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland evergreen and moist semi-deciduous forests, forest edges, and gallery forests. Frequently uses secondary growth and wooded farmland where tall fruiting trees remain. It spends most of its time in the mid- to upper canopy and rarely descends to the ground. Often follows seasonal fruit availability and visits forest clearings and plantations with fruiting trees.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
This turaco is famed for its bright crimson flight feathers colored by turacin, a rare copper-based pigment unique to turacos. It is an important seed disperser for many forest fruiting trees. Agile and canopy-loving, it often runs along branches and makes short gliding flights between trees. Its loud, barking calls carry far through the rainforest.
Temperament
shy yet social in the canopy
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with gliding between trees
Social Behavior
Usually seen in pairs or small family groups that keep close contact with soft calls. Monogamous pairs build a shallow twig platform nest concealed in foliage, typically laying two eggs. Both sexes share incubation and feeding duties, and fledglings climb adeptly through branches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are loud, barking or cawing series that carry over long distances. Calls often accelerate or rise in pitch and are used for contact and territory advertisement.
Plumage
Velvety green body with a darker, short crest and a bluish-green tail; crimson primaries flash vividly in flight.
Diet
Primarily consumes a wide variety of fruits, especially figs and other soft berries and drupes. Occasionally takes flower buds, young leaves, and infrequent invertebrates. Swallows small fruits whole and later regurgitates seeds, aiding forest regeneration. Feeds methodically from branch to branch, selecting ripe fruit clusters.
Preferred Environment
Forages high in the mid- to upper canopy of mature and secondary forests. Also visits forest edges, gallery forests along rivers, and tall fruiting trees in farms and plantations.
