Eastern (grey/gray) plantain-eater, Crinifer zonurus (protonym, Chizaerhis zonurus), also known as the Abyssinian (grey/gray) plantain-eater, and as the eastern (grey/gray) turaco, photographed at Awash National Park, Ethiopia (the Horn of Africa).
Image: Dan Logen, 28 January 2011 (with permission) [velociraptorize].
Nikon D300s, 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender, ISO 800, 1/800 sec, f/5.6, +1/3 exposure compensation.
Question: This Ethiopian mystery bird has a distinctive morphological feature that, although it is not visible in this photograph, you'd never forget if you've ever seen it. What character is that?
Response: This is an adult Eastern grey plantain-eater, Crinifer zonurus. This bird is a member of the Musophagidae ("banana eaters") family, which includes the go-away-birds and the turacos -- none of which eat plantains or bananas. Musophagids are frugivorous birds that typically have prominent crests and long tails, but the plantain-eaters and go-away-birds are sombre in colour, unlike the turacos, which come in a rainbow of reds, greens, blues and purples.
A particularly interesting morphological feature of the musophagids is semi-zygodactyly -- their fourth toe, which usually points outwards, can be rotated backwards to within 70 degrees of the hallux (toe number one). The second and third toes, which always point forward, are conjoined in some species.
The eastern grey plantain-eater is very similar in appearance to its sister species, the western grey plantain-eater. But the eastern species has large white tail patches, and lacks the streaks on the chest and the dark base of the wings as seen in the western species.
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and (mostly) appreciative international audience here at The Guardian, feel free to contact me to learn more.
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