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LOERIES

Medium-sized, but with long tails and prominent feathery crests on the head, loeries are widely distributed and fairly common. Two species occur in the Park.

The Purple-crested Loerie (Tauraco porphyreolophus) is extra ordinarily beautiful with its contrasting shades of red, green and glossy purple. In flight the trailing edges of the wings are exposed to show a magnificent arc of scarlet feathers. In all it is one of the most handsome birds. Although often seen in drier, more open areas, they have a preference for tall trees on the edges of rivers or streams where, leaping from branch to branch, they search for fruit. They usually live in pairs, but are often seen alone. As their name implies, they have a stiff crest of purple feathers.

The uniformly coloured Grey Loerie (Corythaixoides conco is more drab in appearance, but has a charm all of its own. Its loud, almost mocking 'kwehhh' calls can be heard in all the fairly dry bush veld areas. More common than the purple-crested loeries, they are especially plentiful in the acacia woodland south of Tshokwane through to the Crocodile river. Normally found in small groups perched in the upper parts of trees, they live on fruits, flowers, insects and even small animals.

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