Did you know: This bird family known as Louries in South Africa, but the international name is Turaco. Turacos (the 10 species of the Tauraco and the 2 of the Musophaga) are the only birds to possess true red and green color. When you look at most birds, the color you are seeing is a reflection produced by the feather structure. The turacos red pigment (turacin) and green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper. In fact, if you stirred a glass of water with a red turaco feather, the water would turn pink! In museum species, the pigments deepen with age because the copper begins to oxidize. These birds mannage to maintain their colors throughout the year. The Knysna Lourie is thought to use its red wing feathers to escape predators. Indeed, when it flies, the predators tend to focus on the most visible color and follow the red patch. As the Lourie lends and folds its wings, the red feathers of the wings become invisible and the Lourie has a chance of escaping unseen. The Knysna Turaco is known as : Knysnaloerie [Afrikaans]; Igolomi [Xhosa]; iGwalagwala (also applied to Purple-crested and Livingstones turacos) [Zulu]; Hurukuru [Shona]; Ntlume, Tlulutlulu [Tsonga]; Touraco loury, Touraco de Knysna [French]; Helmturako [German]; Turaco de Knysna [Portuguese] Information gathered from various web sites and input by guests and bird lovers alike. :) Thank you guys
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:07:35 +0000