Musophaga rossae
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Ross's turaco or Lady Ross's turaco (Tauraco rossae) is a mainly bluish-purple African bird of the turaco family, Musophagidae. This species expresses very little sexual dimorphism, with both males and females being the same deep shade of blue with red head crowns and flight feathers. Females can have slightly more yellow-green beaks while males always have a bright yellow, with both having a forehead shield that flares to a medium orange. Their wings are round and short, best for short bursts of powered flight. They have black legs with three forward facing toes; with a fourth toe being semi-zygodactylous, which makes them nimble canopy dwellers. Size can vary from 15 to 18 inches and weigh just under one pound. They are considered very sturdy birds that can live anywhere from 8 to 20 years. Sources on life spans tend to vary.
This bird is mostly found in woodlands, open forest and riparian habitats in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. They generally avoid heavily forested areas and their numbers remain strong despite the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 2 | Akagera National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 3 | Lake Mburo National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 6 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 7 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 8 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 12 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ross' Turaco sighting in Virunga National Park on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 316 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.
April to June
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ross' Turaco in Virunga National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–January, the lowest months. Those are among Virunga National Park's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ross' Turaco sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Ross' Turaco sightings, Virunga National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 20%), Akagera National Park (Rwanda, about 20%) and Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 20%).
Same family: Musophagidae
The closest relatives of the Ross' Turaco that you can see in Virunga National Park (family Musophagidae, Turacos) are Ruwenzori Turaco (about 20%) and Eastern Grey Plantain-eater (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ross' Turaco is recorded against all the birds logged in Virunga National Park (40 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.
