The only family of birds that is entirely endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, the turacos are known for their punk ‘hairdos’. The feathers around their head do not have barbules, which gives a glossy appearance to their raised crest.

The turacos are so poorly understood that for years, they were mistakenly referred to as “plaintain-eaters”, until it was discovered that they rarely or never ate plaintains or bananas.

In most birds, the feathers produce their colours by refracting light from feather surface. Turacos possess both the copper feather pigments of red turacin and green turacoverdin, which are not found in any other living creatures in the animal kingdom.

Turacin is seen mainly on the wings, crest and nape. Male turacos spread their wings to show off their red plumage during courtship.Forest-dwelling turacos tend to have more turacoverdin, resulting in mostly green plumage to blend in with the surroundings.