Wild Side: Tanganyika brings out the fab-u-lous Lizzo, a red-crested turaco

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)—On Wednesday, Kiana Lucero from Tanganyika Wildlife Park brought Lizzo, the red-crested turaco, to KSN for our Wild Side segment.

Turacos are medium-sized, brightly colored birds with long tails that they use to balance. They have a green body and a tall red crest. Fun fact: Turacos are the only birds with actual red and green pigments in their feathers.

“Turacos are unique because they have pigment in their feathers that has copper in it. So normally, when you look at a bird, you’re seeing the reflection of the color off of their body, and for turacos, they actually have a true color to them. So if you were to take one of her green or red feathers and swirl it in a glass of water, it would actually leech the copper out of their feathers, and it would change the color of the water, which is really cool,” said Lucero.

There are about 23 species of turacos, and they are only found in Africa. Adult birds weigh less than one pound and live an average of 5-9 years.

The name turaco, pronounced ter-ahk-oh, is believed to imitate the bird’s call.

“She got her name from the singer (Lizzo) . These guys do like to make a lot of noise. They’re sometimes known as the ‘go away bird’ because one of their calls sounds like they’re saying, ‘Go away! Go away!’ So she is a talker sometimes,” said Lucero. “She does sing a little bit.”

Turacos are frugivorous, meaning they eat mostly fruits, but they also eat flowers, leaves, and insects. At TWP, the turacos receive a diet of fruits, veggies, and a specially-made pellet called a “softball.”

“They will eat some bugs, maybe some termites, some worms here and there, but mostly they eat fruits,” said Lucero. “Her (Lizzo’s) favorite is blueberry. She really loves blueberries.”

Lizzo is not on exhibit at TWP but can be seen during special ambassador events. She is a special ambassador bird because she is blind.

“She is actually in an off-exhibit area of the park. She lives in one of our bird buildings, but we do have other red-crested turacos for people to see,” said Lucero.

Lizzo was hatched at the park and hand-raised by staff. Her parents are on exhibit, just across from the kangaroos and rhinos.

Meet the new baby capybaras:

“We actually have really, one exciting thing. We just got some baby capybaras in,” said Lucero. “They are adorable! They are about 3.5 months old. They’ve only been at the park for about a month, and we just started doing an experience with them, so people are really loving that . They’re really fun! Capybaras are kind of an internet sensation right now, so they’re very fun!”

KSN’s Malley Jones asked Lucero when they might be able to join our Wild Segment:

“Maybe soon! They’re still learning. They’re doing really good with crating and doing some basic training, but we’ll have to bring them pretty soon,” said Lucero.

Sunday, Nov. 10, is the last day for the public to visit the park this season. TWP will still offer select experiences on the weekends during their off-season. Check out TWP’s website and Facebook page for more information.

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