BIRDGACHA / FIELD NOTES

Turacos

Turacos and go-away-birds are African birds with long tails, rounded wings and often prominent crests. Forest turacos can show rich green, blue or violet plumage, while go-away-birds are usually greyer or browner. Examples include Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata), Bare-faced Go-away-bird (Crinifer personatus), and Purple-crested Turaco (Gallirex porphyreolophus). Many turacos reveal crimson wing panels in flight, produced by the pigment turacin. They take fruit and other plant material and move between branches with agile hops. The Great Blue Turaco's large size and predominantly blue appearance provide a useful contrast with smaller, crested members of the family.

How to recognize Turacos

Bill: short stout bills.
Outline: long tails and frequently conspicuous crests.
Feeding: taking fruit and plant material among branches.

Where they live

Sub-Saharan Africa contains the family's range, spanning humid forest, wooded savanna and thorn country. Forest turacos often remain among leafy branches, while go-away-birds use more open woodland and scattered trees. Fruiting plants supply important feeding opportunities, and birds may move between patches as crops change. Their loud calls can travel across a wooded landscape even when the long-tailed birds themselves remain screened by foliage.

Species accounts: Great Blue Turaco · Bare-faced Go-away-bird · Purple-crested Turaco

Sources — natural history: Wikipedia: Turacos natural history · Cornell Birds of the World: Great Blue Turaco species account · Don Roberson: Turacos field observations and natural history.

Classification: IOC World Bird List: family names and classification.

Some Cornell Birds of the World account sections require a subscription.

Updated 2026-11-06. Species counts follow this site's catalogue. This is an editorial summary, not an expert peer review.