Birds · Musophagiformes · Musophagidae

Great Blue Turaco

Corythaeola cristata

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The great blue turaco is the largest of the turacos and the only one in its genus: deep turquoise blue with an erect black crest, a yellow and chestnut belly and a tail with a broad black band. It lives in the canopy of African rainforest in noisy groups and feeds almost entirely on fruit. Its call, a deep, resonant cry that carries through the forest, is one of the most characteristic sounds of the forests of the Congo and West Africa.

Weight

800 g – 1.2 kg

Size

70 cm – 75 cm

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestHerbivore Diurnal Bird Rainforest

22countries 26parks7same family

Fun facts

It is the largest of the turacos, at almost a metre in total length and up to 1.2 kilos: despite that size it moves through the canopy by running and leaping between branches rather than by flying.
Like the rest of its family it has turacoverdin and turacin, two copper-based pigments that exist in no other bird in the world and that produce its genuine greens and reds.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Canopy of primary rainforest and gallery forest of Central and West Africa
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 31 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corythaeola_cristata