Corythaixoides concolor
Silhouette: Lisa M. "Pixxl" (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The grey go-away-bird (Crinifer concolor), also known as grey lourie, grey loerie, or kwêvoël, is a bold and common turaco of the southern Afrotropics. They are present in arid to moist, open woodlands and thorn savanna, especially near surface water. They regularly form groups and parties that forage in tree tops, or dust bathe on the ground. Especially when disturbed, they make their presence known by their characteristically loud and nasal "kweh" or "go-way" calls, with the last syllable typically a descending drawl. Within their range, their unique appearance and habits preclude confusion with other bird species.
The grey go-away-bird was formally described in 1833 by the Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith from specimens collected inland from Port Natal (now Durban) in South Africa. He coined the binomial name Corythaix concolor. The specific epithet concolor is Latin meaning "uniform", "similar in colour" or "plain". The grey go-away-bird is now placed in the genus Crinifer that was introduced by the Polish zoologist Feliks Paweł Jarocki in 1821.
Four subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
Recording0:11
Zimbabwe · 2025
© Moira FitzPatrick · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:21
Botswana · 2019
© Dewald du Plessis · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Botswana · 2024
© dominiquev · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 7 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 8 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 9 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 10 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 11 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 12 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 13 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 14 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 15 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 3 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Lubango | 🇦🇴 Angola |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giraffe House | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Elephant Sanctuary, The Crags, Plettenberg Bay | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Go-Away-Bird sighting in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 107th most-seen of the 250 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Go-Away-Bird in Gorongosa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and November, the lowest months. That is one of Gorongosa National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 210 mm in January. March and December–January have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey Go-Away-Bird sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
15th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Grey Go-Away-Bird sightings, Gorongosa National Park ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 90%), Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 80%) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Musophagidae
The closest relatives of the Grey Go-Away-Bird that you can see in Gorongosa National Park (family Musophagidae, Turacos) are Purple-Crested Turaco (about 20%) and Livingstone's Turaco (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Go-Away-Bird is recorded against all the birds logged in Gorongosa National Park (28 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
