White-cheeked Turaco Menelikornis leucotis Scientific name definitions
Revision Notes
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Species names in all available languages
Language | Common name |
---|---|
Catalan | turac d'orelles blanques |
Czech | turako bělolící |
Dutch | Witwangtoerako |
English | White-cheeked Turaco |
English (United States) | White-cheeked Turaco |
French | Touraco à joues blanches |
French (France) | Touraco à joues blanches |
German | Weißohrturako |
Japanese | ホオジロエボシドリ |
Norwegian | hvitøreturako |
Polish | turak białouchy |
Russian | Белоухий турако |
Serbian | Beloliki turako |
Slovak | turako bielolíci |
Spanish | Turaco Cariblanco |
Spanish (Spain) | Turaco cariblanco |
Swedish | vitkindad turako |
Turkish | Ak Yüzlü Turako |
Ukrainian | Турако сірокрилий |
Revision Notes
Luca Bielski prepared the account for the 2023 Clements taxonomy update.
Menelikornis leucotis (Rüppell, 1835)
Definitions
- MENELIKORNIS
- leucotis
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Field Identification
42–43 cm; 200–315 g. Adult has forehead, neck, throat, breast , and upperparts green; rounded crest and hindcrown glossy dark blue, with a large circular white loral patch , a small black band (often very faint) extending under eye from gape to ear coverts, and a prominent but variable crescentic white patch on side of neck. Lower back, folded wings , and tail grayish blue, rump grey-blue; primaries and outer secondaries crimson; thighs and belly dull blackish; eye brown, with bright red wattled orbital ring; bill red, with greenish base around nostrils largely concealed by feathers; legs and feet black. Immature rather similar to adult. Subspecies donaldsoni has hindcrown and crest dull crimson. Nominate birds in Eritrea and areas west of the Rift Valley have upper back and wing coverts bluer and large, conspicuous neck patches, while many birds east of the Rift are brighter and greener, with less white on sides of neck.
Systematics History
Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.
Previously thought to be closely related to Hartlaub's Turaco (Tauraco hartlaubi), but this not supported in phylogenetic study (1). Subspecies donaldsoni said to be “found east of the Rift Valley in the… Bale mountains, where… at least it is found alongside nominate White-cheeked Turaco, supporting the view for its specific separation” (2). Its elongated feathers of hindcrown are dull reddish-brown, rather than the dull blackish-blue of nominate, on which this color starts earlier on the mid-crown so that most of crown looks indigo, rather than green and then maroon (score 3); otherwise very similar. Clarification needed as to whether the two co-occur or are parapatric in Bale Mts. A score of 3 for parapatry and 3 for crown color would mean that any small vocal difference would be sufficient to establish the split. Nominate race has hybridized in the wild with Prince Ruspoli's Turaco (Menelikornis ruspolii) (3). Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies
White-cheeked Turaco (White-cheeked) Menelikornis leucotis leucotis Scientific name definitions
Distribution
Eritrea south through Ethiopian Highlands (southwestern Arussi, Shoa and Sidamo) and into eastern South Sudan (Boma Plateau).
Menelikornis leucotis leucotis (Rüppell, 1835)
Definitions
- MENELIKORNIS
- leucotis
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
White-cheeked Turaco (Donaldson's) Menelikornis leucotis donaldsoni Scientific name definitions
Distribution
South-central Ethiopian Highlands in northern Harrar, Arussi and northern Bale.
Menelikornis leucotis donaldsoni (Sharpe, 1895)
Definitions
- MENELIKORNIS
- leucotis
- donaldsoni
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Hybridization
Hybrid Records and Media Contributed to eBird
-
White-cheeked x Prince Ruspoli's Turaco (hybrid) Menelikornis leucotis x ruspolii
Distribution
Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.
Habitat
Typically occurs in montane Podocarpus and juniper (Juniperus) forest from 2200 m to 3200 m, but can be found as low as 850 m in the Omo Valley; also in tall gallery trees and thick bush along watercourses. In Eritrea, occurs in almost any type of dense woodland, except acacia, ranging down to 900 m.
Movement
Largely sedentary throughout its range.
Diet and Foraging
Primarily fruits and berries of Podocarpus and juniper trees .
Sounds and Vocal Behavior
Main call a series of raucous cawing notes with a rhythmic delivery unlike congeners—typically two or three long introductory notes followed by 2–5 fast short ones, then 10–12 harsher notes at a steady pace, e.g. go..gwOh..gwOh..gogogogo.gro.groh..groh..groh..groh..groh..groh... Also a high-pitched rattling alarm.
Breeding
Breeds in April in Eritrea, and in June–November in Ethiopia. Nest is a rather thick platform of dry twigs, very loosely constructed, with a slight depression at top, placed some 7–10 m above ground. Lays 2 off-white eggs; incubation 22–23 days, by both sexes. Newly hatched chicks are covered in black down; at 18–19 days they begin to crawl about in branches around nest, and are able to fly at 25–26 days.
Conservation Status
Not globally threatened. CITES II. Fairly common in many areas of Podocarpus and juniper forest in Ethiopian Highlands above 2400 m. No known threats at present, but any destruction of this species' forest habitats could lead to serious local depletion of its numbers.