Musophaga violacea
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater (Tauraco violaceus, syn.: Musophaga violacea), is a large turaco, a group of African otidimorphae. These are unmistakable birds, but shy and often inconspicuous in the treetops. They are approximately 48 cm (19 in) long, including a long tail and a 4 cm (1.6 in) bill. They boast a winglength of 21 cm (8.3 in) and weigh approximately 360 g (13 oz). The plumage is glossy violet, except for the yellow forehead, chestnut crown and white ear coverts; the bill is thick and red. In flight, the violet turaco's crimson primary flight feathers contrast with the violet plumage. The red colour in the wings is typical of turacos.
It is resident of West Africa, and has an extremely large range from Senegal through to Nigeria, with isolated populations in Chad and the Central African Republic. It occurs in tropical savannas, wetlands, woodlands and forests.
Diet consists of fruit, and they are quite partial to figs, but they will also eat leaves, buds, flowers, insects, snails and slugs. Cooperative breeding behavior has been observed in captivity in this species. They breed... Wikipedia →
Recording0:08
Spain · 2021
© ernsthaeckel · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:08
Gambia · 2017
© Jorick van de Westeringh · Observation.org, Nature data from around the World · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Accra | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 3 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Turaco sighting in Abuja on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 63rd most-seen of the 131 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Turaco in Abuja on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month. Those are among Abuja's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain a month against almost none in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet Turaco sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Violet Turaco sightings, Abuja ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Accra (Ghana, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Violet Turaco is recorded against all the birds logged in Abuja (23 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
