Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird

Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Serengeti National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

1,171 Verified sightings at Serengeti National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,558 In all 9 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~60%
2 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~60%
3 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~60%
4 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~50%
5 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
6 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~30%
7 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
8 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
9 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kigali 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird in Serengeti National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird sighting in Serengeti National Park on a given day, based on 1,171 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 469 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird in Serengeti National Park?

April

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird in Serengeti National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January and August, the lowest months. That is one of Serengeti National Park's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 5 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird?

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.

Where does the Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Bare-Faced Go-Away-Bird is recorded against all the birds logged in Serengeti National Park (1,171 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.

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