Bare-faced Go-away-bird
Crinifer personatus
Unusual gray turaco with a bushy crest and a mostly white head and breast. Found in moist savanna, woodland, shrubby cultivation, and gardens. Usually in small groups. Loud and vocal. The calls are a single hollow “khweow” and a maniacal series of cackles and whines given by multiple birds in chorus. Similar in shape to White-bellied Go-away-bird and Eastern Plantain-eater, but easily separated by the white collar and lack of white in the wings and tail.
Identification
The sexes are similar, other than the female's green beak. It is 48 cm (19 in) long beak to tail, and weighs approximately 210 to 300 grams. Its call is a double or repetitive kow-kow.
Taxonomy
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.<p>Two geographically isolated races are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Crinifer personatus
- Authority
- (Rüppell, 1842)
- Order
- Musophagiformes
- Family
- Musophagidae
- Genus
- Crinifer
Range and habitat
The bare-faced go-away-bird is found in two disjunct areas in Africa: one in Ethiopia, and the other in Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It occurs in open woodland, thickets and in cultivation with scattered trees. It may be found at altitudes of up to 1,400 metres, but at Loita up to 2,200 metres in scattered cedar, acacia and evergreen scrub.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The bare-faced go-away-bird is a noisy and restless species, that moves about singly or in groups.<p>These birds primarily eat fruits, leaf buds, and seeds.<p>Like other Turacos, the bare-faced go-away-bird lays two to three greenish-white eggs each mating season. Nests are often built in tall acacia trees.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dulit Frogmouth
Batrachostomus harterti
Large frogmouth of Borneo’s central mountains. Inhabits foothill forest (typically 600–1230 m). Heavyset, with a whiskered face and bright white spots on the wings. Similar Large Frogmouth is generally found at lower elevations; Dulit has broader (as opposed to Large’s sharply triangular) white wing spots, strong pale barring on the throat, and overall darker coloration. Song is a low, resonant, melancholy-sounding “hooooo’m”; call consists of barks, typically given in pairs: “woo’WUP!”.
Barratt's Warbler
Bradypterus barratti
A skulky, dull brown warbler with a long and graduated tail, a pale grayish eyebrow, and a throat that is lightly streaked. It creeps around mouse-like in thick undergrowth and tangles in forest and forest edge. It is also found in isolated pockets of scrub, often adjacent to streams, and is frequently detected and identified by its song, mostly delivered between September and December: 2-3 sweet “tsiit” notes followed by a loud trill of 15-20 harsh “tchui” notes. It also has a strident chipping alarm call “tddd-ddr-ddr-ddr-ddr-tt.” The similar Knysna Warbler differs from Barratt’s Warbler by its shorter tail, darker underparts, less pronounced throat streaking, and different song.
Nicaraguan Seed-Finch
Sporophila nuttingi
What this bird lacks in color, it makes up for with a ridiculously oversized bill. Male is all glossy black, female warm brown. Male’s bill is huge and pink, female’s is equally huge but dark gray. Larger overall size than other seed-finches and seedeaters. Could be mistaken for Thick-billed Seed-Finch but even larger bill should help with identification; also note lack of a white patch in the wing. Found in open habitats, especially fields with some scattered shrubs.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.