touraco

or tu·ra·co

[ toor-uh-koh ]

noun

, plural tou·ra·cos.

1. any of several large, brightly colored birds of the family Musophagidae, of Africa, having a helmetlike crest.

touraco

/ ˈtʊərəˌkəʊ /

noun

1. any brightly coloured crested arboreal African bird of the family Musophagidae: order Cuculiformes (cuckoos, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of touraco¹

First recorded in 1735–45; from French touraco or Dutch toerako; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of touraco¹

C18: of West African origin

Example Sentences

Beautifully coloured are the green touraco and the purple plantain-eater, a rascally bird! who eats some of our finest plantains, and has bitten holes in many a one I thought to get entirely to myself.

From Project Gutenberg

These ladies seem to have chosen for their model the touraco or cockatoo,—they have never heard of "Kikeriki,"—and the effect is at first wondrously grotesque.

From Project Gutenberg