Red-crested Turaco Tauraco erythrolophus

The Red-crested Turaco is native to Angola and Cameroon. The adult has a prominent red crest, a white face, yellow bill and green body/wings. The tail is bluish. Turaco's are one of only two families of birds to have true green pigment (turacoverdin) and true red pigment (turacin) rather than feather structure which reflects light from carotenoid yellows to show as red and green.

Another unusual feature of Turacos is their toes being semi-zygodactylous, so that, like parrots and woodpeckers, they can have the first and fourth toes facing back and two forward, or, like most passerine birds, they can have three toes forward and one back.

The green can be iridescent on the wings and the underside and tail are grey-violet and blue. In addition to copper pigments and moveable toes, Turacos have a third most unusual feature: tiny claws on the wings of chicks to enable a better grip in climbing - which are shed when they fledge.

They are mainly fruit eaters and useful dispersers of seed.

The iridescent red turacin pigment shines, as does the iridescent green turacoverdin, both named after the turaco family of birds.