24 Extraordinarily Beautiful Birds You Might Not Have Heard About

The White-cheeked Turaco (Tauraco leucotis):is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. A striking, crested head describes most of the 23 turaco species. On the white-cheeked turaco, the rounded blue-black crest has hairlike feathering which is elongated and slicked back. Prominent red eyerings also stand out. Lacking feathering, they are composed of wattles: a single row of tiny ones below the eye; two or three rows of larger wattles above and to the sides. In front of the eye is a roundish white patch. Legs are grayish-black. Toes are semi-zygodactylous. That is, the outer toe is normally at a right angle, but can be switched backwards or forwards. Claws are short and sharply curved. There are two subspecies: T.l. leucotis is described above. T.l. donaldsoni has a crest that is green towards the front and dull crimson at the back. Wings are a dull violet-blue. Photo credit: Joseph T Gioglio