Great Blue Turaco

The Great Blue Turaco is a spectacular, large bird of the African rainforest canopy and the biggest member of the turaco family. Its plumage is predominantly slate-blue with a greenish tinge, a bright yellow breast band, and a chestnut-tinged belly, topped off with a tall, upright black crest.

The bird's oversized bill is especially striking: yellow with a red tip, giving it a somewhat parrot-like appearance despite being unrelated to true parrots.

Key field marks

• Very large size, noticeably bigger than other turacos
• Slate-blue body plumage with a greenish sheen
• Tall, black, upright crest
• Massive yellow bill with a red tip
• Yellow chest band and chestnut lower underparts

Similar species

Its huge size and unique bill color make the Great Blue Turaco essentially unmistakable within its range; no other African bird combines this scale with turaco-shaped body and crest. Smaller green turacos, such as Hartlaub's Turaco, lack the blue coloring, large size, and distinctive bill pattern.

Habitat and range

The Great Blue Turaco inhabits primary and secondary tropical rainforest canopy across Central and West-Central Africa, including the Congo Basin, Cameroon, Gabon, and parts of Uganda and Kenya at forest edges.

Migration

It is a non-migratory, resident species, generally staying within established forest home ranges, though flocks may travel between fruiting trees.

Behavior

Great Blue Turacos are usually found in small flocks moving through the forest canopy, running along branches with agile hops before launching into heavy, gliding flight between trees. They are among the largest arboreal fruit-eating birds in Africa.

Voice

The call is a deep, resonant, far-carrying series of guttural "kow" or croaking notes, often given by several birds in a group and audible over long distances in the forest.

Feeding

They feed almost entirely on fruit, supplemented by leaves and flowers, plucked while moving through the canopy.

Nesting and breeding

A flat platform nest of sticks is built high in a tree, typically holding 2 eggs, with both parents involved in incubation and raising the chicks.