Plantain-eater
The plantain-eaters, Crinifer, are birds in the turaco family. They are restricted to Africa.
| Plantain-eater | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Western plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Lotherton Hall, England | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Musophagiformes |
| Family: | Musophagidae |
| Genus: | Crinifer Jarocki, 1821 |
| Species | |
|
C. piscator | |
The genus was erected by the Polish zoologist Feliks Paweł Jarocki in 1821 with the western plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) as the type species.[1] The name combines the Latin crinis meaning "hair" and -fer meaning "bearing".[2]
The genus now contains five species:[3], as they have recently been merged in the genus Crinifer with the go-away birds.
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
_female.jpg.webp) | Crinifer zonurus | Eastern plantain-eater | east Africa. |
 | Crinifer piscator | Western plantain-eater | west Africa |
These are large noisy and conspicuous birds, but lack the brilliant colours of their relatives. They are mainly grey, with a long tail and an erectile head crest. They feed on fruit, especially figs, seeds and other vegetable matter.
References
- Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 9.
- Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Turacos, bustards, cuckoos, mesites, sandgrouse". World Bird List Version 9.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- Barlow, Wacher and Disley, Birds of The Gambia ISBN 1-873403-32-1
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