Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches

touraco

 - 3 dictionary results

tou⋅ra⋅co

[toor-uh-koh]
–noun, plural -cos.
any of several large, brightly colored birds of the family Musophagidae, of Africa, having a helmetlike crest.
Also, turaco.


Origin:
1735–45; < F touraco or D toerako; ulterior orig. obscure
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To touraco
tou·ra·co also tu·ra·co   (tŏŏr'ə-kō')   
n.   pl. tou·ra·cos also tu·ra·cos
Any of various weak-flying, cuckoolike African birds of the family Musophagidae, many of which have brightly colored plumage and long tails.

[French, perhaps of West African origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

touraco

any of about 18 species in six genera of colourful, fruit-eating African birds. The green and iridescent turacos (Tauraco, Musophaga, and Corythaeola) are primarily residents of dense broad-leaved evergreen forest; the grayer forms (Crinifer), most of which are called go-away birds (because the calls of some are "g'way, g'way"), are found in more open woodland, including savanna.

Learn more about touraco with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see touraco on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: