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 ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-Crested Turaco sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 115th most-seen of the 276 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Purple-Crested Turaco in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month. That is one of Ruaha National Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against almost none in June.
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.
7th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Purple-Crested Turaco sightings, Ruaha National Park ranks 7th at about 20%. 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.
Same family: Musophagidae
The closest relatives of the Purple-Crested Turaco that you can see in Ruaha National Park (family Musophagidae, Turacos) are Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird (about 60%) and White-Bellied Go-Away-Bird (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple-Crested Turaco is recorded against all the birds logged in Ruaha National Park (38 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.
