The white-cheeked turaco (''Menelikornis leucotis'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the family

Musophagidae The turacos make up the bird family Musophagidae ( "banana-eaters"), which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. In southern Africa both turacos and go-away-birds are commonly known as loeries. They are semi-zygodactylous: the fourth ( ...

. It is found in

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, and

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

. A mid-sized species, it measures about in length, including a tail of , and weighs about .''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), . This species is the most commonly raised turaco in captive conditions.

Distribution and habitat

The white-cheeked turaco is native to

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

and

, where it is found in ''

Podocarpus ''Podocarpus'' () is a genus of conifers, the most numerous and widely distributed of the podocarp family, the Podocarpaceae. The name comes from Greek πούς (poús, “foot”) + καρπός (karpós, “fruit”). ''Podocarpus'' species ...

'' and

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

forests in the highland regions.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies, the nominate subspecies ''M. l. leucotis'' found in the ''Podocarpus'' forests of Eritrea, Ethiopia and southeastern South Sudan and ''M. l. donaldsoni'' found in south-central Ethiopia south of the

Rift Valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear dep ...

and in the extreme west of Somalia. The latter is quite distinct in plumage colour - the eastern population is separated from the larger population by the escarpment. The white-crested turaco has been shown to hybridise with the sympatric

Ruspoli's turaco Ruspoli's turaco (''Menelikornis ruspolii''), also known as Prince Ruspoli's turaco, is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is endemic to southern Ethiopia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is th ...

(''Menelikornis ruspolii'') that contributed more to concerns about Ruspoli's turaco that is considered endangered.

In captivity

In captivity a 'cinnamon' colour sport (a recessive colour mutation) first occurred spontaneously in birds bred by Mr D Jones in Gloucestershire, England and is now present in captive birds in other countries. A single white-cheeked turaco has been living wild in east London (Leytonstone and South Woodford). The sighting was recorded and confirmed in October 2009. It has survived the climate and potential predators for at least seven years and appears to be living in harmony with native species. It's believed to be an escaped or released pet. Sightings in gardens have continued to delight Londoners. In 2014 another bird (or the same one who fancied a change of scenery perhaps?) was sighted in Langton Green, Kent and has caused much interest to the residents, being featured in the village magazine. Sightings in East London have continued into 2017 with the turaco seen in January enjoying scraps under bird feeders in residential gardens near Wanstead Park and in July flying around the treetops in Bushwood. It was seen again in the trees opposite

St Gabriel's Church, Aldersbrook St Gabriel's Church is a Church of England parish church in the Aldersbrook estate area of Wanstead in the London Borough of Redbridge, dedicated to the archangel Gabriel. It began in 1903 as an iron building before a permanent brick church by C ...

, and photographed on 30 March 2021. In addition, there have been various sightings of the same (or similar) bird in Wimbledon since April 2016. A turaco was sighted in Havant, Hampshire, in August 2019 and again in May 2020. It has a ring on the left leg. There have been confirmed sightings in Cardiff, Wales from January 2020 and has also been seen in March 2022.

Gallery

Image:Tauraco leucotis (Weißohrturako - White-cheeked Turaco) - Weltvogelpark Walsrode 2013-03.jpg Image:Tauraco leucotis (Weißohrturako - White-cheeked Turaco) - Weltvogelpark Walsrode 2013-01.jpg Image:TuracusDonaldsoniKeulemans.jpg Image:Tauraco leucotis-20031005.jpg Image:White-cheeked Turaco RWD3.jpg Image:White-cheeked Turaco RWD2.jpg

References

* International Turaco Society ITS Magazine 1993-2012 {{Taxonbar, from=Q779856

white-cheeked turaco The white-cheeked turaco (''Menelikornis leucotis'') is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. A mid-sized species, it measures about in length, including a tail of , and weighs about . ...

Birds of East Africa Fauna of the Ethiopian Highlands

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN