Karura Forest #7: Turaco Terrain
The cache is hidden in a tree about 2m east of the trail and about 6m north of a small side trail heading east.
For background information on Karura Forest including access, fees, features, a detailed trail map and useful links,
see GC4PD3V Karura Forest #1: Intro, Info & Entry
Amongst the over 200 bird species which can be seen in the forest, one of the most splendid (and noisy!) is the stunningly coloured Hartlaub's Turaco. Turacos form the 23 species bird family Musophagidae ('banana-eaters') which includes plantain-eaters and go-away-birds. They often have prominent crests, long tails and are noted for unique pigments giving them their bright green (turacoverdin) and red (turacin) feathers.
They are medium-sized arboreal birds endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, where they live in forests, woodland and savanna. Their flight is weak, but they are strong climbers and are able to move nimbly on branches and through vegetation making good use of a unique foot arrangement (semi-zygodactylous) where the 4th toe can be brought around to the back of the foot where it almost touches the 1st, or brought around so that it is near the 2nd & 3rd. In spite of this flexibility the toe is usually held at right angles to the axis of the foot.
They feed mainly on fruits, but also on leaves, buds, and flowers, and occasionally small insects like moths & beetles, caterpillars, snails, and slugs. Despite their name, they generally do not eat bananas or plantains! They are noisy gregarious birds which don't migrate. They build large stick nests in trees, and lay 2-3 eggs. The young are born after 22-23 days with thick down and open, or nearly-open, eyes. They fledge at 28 days. It is not known how long they live in the wild but in captivity they can easily reach 30 years or more. One bird in the Cotswold Wildlife Park Collection is 38 years old.
Their brilliant crimson flight feathers of turacos are treasured status symbols to Royalty and Paramount Chiefs all over Africa, for example, they are used exclusively for the Swazi and Zulu Royal families.
For information on Hartlaub's Turaco, see GC5FF98 Karura Forest #19: Turaco Path.