Tauraco porphyreolophus
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 ~60%
The purple-crested turaco (Gallirex porphyreolophus) or, in South Africa, the purple-crested loerie, (Khurukhuru in the Luvenḓa (Venḓa) language) is a species of bird in the turaco clade with an unresolved phylogenetic placement. Initial analyses placed the purple-crested turaco in the family Musophagidae, but studies have indicated that these birds do not belong to this family and have been placed in the clade of turacos with an unresolved phylogeny. It is the National Bird of the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the crimson flight feathers of this and related turaco species are important in the ceremonial regalia of the Swazi royal family.
This bird has a purple coloured crest above a green head, a red ring around their eyes, and a black bill. The neck and chest are green and brown. The rest of the body is purple, with red flight feathers. Purple-crested turacos are considered to be large frugivores that are known to carry cycad seeds from various plant species long distances from feeding to nesting sites. After fruit consumption, they regurgitate the seeds intact where they can germinate nearby. G. porphyreolophus primarily consumes fruits whole like many other large frugivores... Wikipedia →
Recording0:05
South Africa · 2024
© Shaun Swanepoel · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
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South Africa · 2024
© peacevaleconservancy · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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South Africa · 2025
© Linda Howell · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 4 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Gorongosa National Park | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 7 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 9 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 10 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 11 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 12 | Mikumi National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 13 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 14 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safari Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Paphos Zoo | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | |
| 3 | Monkeyland | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Giraffe House | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Ilha das Aves | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 9 | The Green Planet | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 10 | Exotic Animal World | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-Crested Turaco sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 131st most-seen of the 275 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.
October and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-Crested Turaco in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month. Those are among Mana Pools National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 290 mm in January. March has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple-Crested Turaco sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Purple-Crested Turaco sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 60%), iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 30%) and Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-Crested Turaco is recorded against all the birds logged in Mana Pools National Park (58 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.
