Purple-crested Turaco
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0

Turacos

Purple-crested Turaco

Gallirex porphyreolophus

LCLeast Concern
Family
Turacos (Musophagidae)
Order
Musophagiformes

Overview

The purple-crested turaco (Gallirex porphyreolophus) or, in South Africa, the purple-crested loerie, (Khurukhuru in the Luvenḓa (Venḓa) language) is a species of bird in the turaco clade with an unresolved phylogenetic placement. Initial analyses placed the purple-crested turaco in the family Musophagidae, but studies have indicated that these birds do not belong to this family and have been placed in the clade of turacos with an unresolved phylogeny. It is the National Bird of the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the crimson flight feathers of this and related turaco species are important in the ceremonial regalia of the Swazi royal family.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.