The white-cheeked turaco (Tauraco leucotis) is the National Bird of the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) and is the most commonly encountered member of the 23-strong family. It is found in central and South Africa, in countries such as Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan. The species Tauraco leucotis was first named by Ruppell in 1835, with the subspecies T. l. donaldsoni being named by Sharpe in 1895. The Donaldson’s subspecies can be distinguished by a pale crimson hind crown to the normal dark crest. This bird was named in honour of Dr Arthur Donaldson-Smith (1866-1939) who was an American doctor from Philadelphia but became an explorer, naturalist and diplomat. The rounded blue-black crest has hairlike feathering which is elongated and slicked back. Prominent red eye-rings 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. It feeds on a variety of fruits and berries, preferring juniper, podocarpus, and fig trees. Insects are eaten for their protein as well as the occasional small lizard. It is a species in the Musophagidae family.
