Purple-crested Turaco

Gallirex porphyreolophus

National bird of Eswatini. Its copper-based red pigment, turacin, is found in no other birds. Glamorous and irreplaceable.

Population: Not numerically quantified by IUCN/BirdLife; described as localised but common across much of its southern African range, with a suspected population decline of 1-19% over three generations driven by an estimated 18.9% tree-cover loss within its range (IUCN 2024 assessment)
Habitat: Subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest, evergreen and riparian forest, dry and moist shrubland/thicket, plantations, and rural gardens/suburban areas; sea level to ~1,850-1,900 m elevation
Fun fact: The Purple-crested Turaco is the national bird of Eswatini, and its crimson-red flight feathers — colored by turacin, a copper-based pigment unique to turacos — are traditionally worn by the Swazi royal family as a symbol of status.
Range: East and southern Africa across 11 countries: Burundi, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, south to the Mtamvuna River), Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; Extent of Occurrence ~3,360,000 km²
Diet: Primarily frugivorous, feeding almost exclusively on wild and cultivated fruit (swallowed whole or torn into pieces, seeds often regurgitated intact — the species is known to disperse cycad seeds long distances), occasionally taking buds and flowers
Size: 0.44 m
Wingspan: 0.55 m
Lifespan: 20 years

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