[5] Has a bright turquoise-blue patch on nape and hindneck, long crest, slender and steeply graduated tail, females shorter than males.

Their toes are strong and dextrous, allowing the birds to climb and scurry along branches, to hang by a toenail, or to use one foot to hold food.

In groups, a pre-flight ritual includes a collective "trie-trie" before departing the feeding area, or a rhythmic "tsie-tsie..." every 0.5 seconds just prior to takeoff.

A begging female vocalizes a unique sequence, described as "cruir-uu-tuit-truit", during courtship while the male utters a series of "tiuee-tuiee..." notes at a rate of six every approximately 10 seconds.

Particularly in Senegal, Mali, Kenya, and Tanzania, routine dry-season movements occur, where they transition from savanna woodland to river valleys and populated areas.

Other plants they utilize include Balaenites aegyptiaca, Capparis decidua, Boscia senegalensis, Grewia villosa, Tamarindus, and Ficus.

Additionally, they consume dates and various cultivated fruits, with a preference for those from the Azadirachta indica tree, commonly found in towns.

[5] They have been observed to display monogamous tendencies in captivity where pair-bonds endure for extended periods, and are likely territorial in nature, but perhaps a co-operative breeder.

[3] The chick once hatched, weighs around 2.3 grams,[13] and exhibits distinctive bulbous swellings at the base and on both sides of the lower mandible, which persist for approximately one month and before it disappears.