Corythaixoides personatus
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 ~10% in a week ~20%
The bare-faced go-away-bird (Crinifer personatus) is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae which is native to the eastern Afrotropics. It is named for its distinctive and uniquely bare, black face. The bare-faced go-away-bird was described in 1842 by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell based on a specimen collected in Abyssinia (Ethiopia). He coined the binomial name Chizærhis personata. The specific epithet is from Latin personatus meaning "masked" (from persona meaning "mask"). The bare-faced go-away-bird was formerly placed in the genus Corythaixoides but based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020, it was moved to the genus Crinifer.
Two geographically isolated races are recognised: Description: More extensive green breast plumage, underside of wings and tail greenish, face with minute brown plumes Description: Face bare and black, less extensive green breast plumage
The sexes are similar, other than the female's green beak. It is 48 cm (19 in) long beak to tail, and weighs... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Ruaha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 99 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 294th most-seen of the 519 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against under 5% in January–March and May–October, the lowest months. Those are among Ngorongoro Conservation Area's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
Between 5 and 8 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 60%), Ruaha National Park (Tanzania, about 60%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 60%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird is recorded against all the birds logged in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (99 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.
