Western plantain-eater

Western plantain-eater

Gray plantain-eater, Western gray plantain-eater

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Crinifer piscator

The western plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator ), also known as the gray plantain-eater or western gray plantain-eater, is a large member of the turaco family, a group of large arboreal near-passerine birds restricted to Africa.

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This species is a resident breeder in open woodland habitats in tropical west Africa. It lays two or three eggs in a tree platform nest.

These are common, noisy and conspicuous birds, despite lacking the brilliant colours of relatives such as the violet turaco. They are 50 cm long, including a long tail. Their plumage is mainly gray above spotted with brown. The head, erectile crest, neck and breast are brown streaked with silver. The underparts are whitish, heavily streaked with brown.

Western plantain-eater has a thick bright yellow bill, and shows a white wing bar in flight. The sexes are identical, but immatures have a black woolly head without silver streaking.

This bird is similar to the closely related eastern plantain-eater. The latter species has white tail bars, and lacks the chest bars and dark wing feather shafts of its western relative.

This species feeds on fruit, especially figs, seeds and other vegetable matter.

Western plantain-eater has a loud cow-cow-cow call, very familiar in west Africa.

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Habits and Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

References

1. Western plantain-eater Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_plantain-eater
2. Western plantain-eater on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22688415/93196560
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/694632

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