Knysna loerie
The Knysna turaco (Tauraco corythaix ), or, in South Africa, Knysna loerie, is a large turaco, one of a group of African musophagidae birds. It is a resident breeder in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, and Swaziland. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the green turaco of West Africa. The Livingstone's and Schalow's turacos were once considered subspecies.
Within its range, this is an unmistakable bird, although often inconspicuous in the treetops. The small but thick orange-red bill and a white line just under the eye contrast with the mainly green plumage. It has a tall green crest, which is tipped with white. The eye is brown and the eye-ring deep red. In flight, Knysna turaco shows conspicuous crimson primary flight feathers. The male and the female are similar in appearance, but juvenile birds have a shorter crest without the white tips.
Knysna turacos are found in southern and eastern South Africa, and Swaziland. They do not migrate and live in the mature evergreen tropical forests.
Knysna turacos are active during the day and usually seen flying between forest trees, or hopping along branches. They are social and move in pairs or small family groups. Knysna turacos are also very noisy birds; they have a loud 'kow-kow-kow-kow' call and use it to communicate with each other or to defend their territory.
Knysna turacos are herbivores (frugivores). They feed mainly on fruit and berries, and supplement their diet with seeds, leaves, insects and earthworms.
Knysna turacos are monogamous and form pairs. The time of breeding usually varies with location. Despite being social pairs tend to nest solitarily. The female lays 2 eggs in a shallow platform nest made from sticks and placed in a tree or clump of creepers. The eggs are incubated by both parents within 20-24 days. The chicks hatch helpless and stay in the nest for about 22 days. They start to fly 28 days after hatching and become independent 3 weeks later.
There are no major threats facing the Knysna turaco at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Knysna turaco total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.