Introduction
The Violet Turaco, Tauraco violaceus, is a large West African turaco recognised by its glossy violet plumage, vivid facial pattern and crimson wing feathers. It is a resident species of wooded habitats, including forest edges, gallery forest, woodland and well-vegetated savanna. Its loud, rolling calls often reveal its presence before the bird is seen.
Physical Description
The Violet Turaco is approximately 45 to 50 centimetres long, including its long tail and substantial bill. Adults weigh about 350 to 400 grams. The sexes are similar in appearance.
The plumage is predominantly glossy violet or deep bluish-purple. The head has a yellow forehead, reddish crown and nape, white ear-coverts and a patch of bare red skin around the eye. The large bill is strongly coloured, with yellow and red or orange areas that form a useful identification feature. In flight, the crimson primary feathers create a conspicuous flash of colour against the dark violet body.
Juvenile birds are duller and less sharply marked than adults. They gradually develop the full adult facial pattern and intense plumage during their first year.
Range and Habitat
The Violet Turaco is a resident bird of West Africa. Its range extends from southern Senegal and the Gambia through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin to Nigeria, with additional records eastwards into north-western Cameroon and isolated areas farther inland, including southern Chad and the Central African Republic.
It uses a variety of wooded habitats, including moist forest margins, gallery forest along watercourses, woodland, forest-savanna mosaics and mature secondary growth. Although it may occur in relatively open country where suitable trees remain, it generally relies on trees and dense vegetation for feeding, nesting and cover. The species is not considered migratory, although local movements may occur in response to food availability and seasonal conditions.
Where to See This Species
Mole National Park, Savannah Region, Ghana
Mole National Park supports a rich bird community and is a documented location for Violet Turaco. The species can be looked for in wooded savanna, riverine vegetation and taller trees around the park’s developed wildlife-viewing areas. It may be easier to detect by its distinctive calls than by searching the canopy directly.
Nearby accommodation: Lodges, guest houses and campsites are available around the Mole and Larabanga area, with further accommodation in nearby regional towns.
Niokolo-Koba National Park, Tambacounda Region, Senegal
Violet Turaco is included among the recorded birds of Niokolo-Koba National Park. The park’s woodland, gallery forest and river corridors provide suitable habitat, particularly where taller trees occur within the savanna landscape. Sightings are likely to be most realistic during guided wildlife drives or birding visits in areas with mature vegetation.
Nearby accommodation: Park lodgings and campsites are available in or near the reserve, with additional guest houses and hotels in the wider Tambacounda area.
Shai Hills Resource Reserve, Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Shai Hills Resource Reserve is a publicly accessible protected area with open grassland, scattered woodland, rocky hills and mature trees. Violet Turacos have been recorded there, making it a practical option for visitors based near Accra. Look around wooded sections, fruiting trees and forest-edge habitat, especially during quieter periods of the day.
Nearby accommodation: Accra and Tema provide the widest choice of hotels, guest houses and self-catering accommodation. The reserve also has camping facilities.
Behaviour and Diet
Violet Turacos are mainly arboreal and are usually active during the day. They move through the canopy by hopping and climbing along branches, using short bursts of flight to cross gaps between trees. They are often seen singly, in pairs or in small family groups, and several birds may call together from nearby trees.
The diet consists mainly of fruit, especially soft forest fruits and figs where available. Flowers, buds, leaves, seeds and small invertebrates may also be taken. By swallowing fruit and later passing the seeds elsewhere, the species contributes to seed dispersal and forest regeneration.
The call is a loud, rolling or resonant series of notes that can carry a considerable distance through woodland. Calling is important for maintaining contact between birds and may also help defend a feeding area or territory.
Breeding is associated with seasonal rainfall and periods of greater food availability, although timing varies across the range. The nest is a loose platform of twigs placed in a tree, usually among leafy branches. Two eggs are normally laid, and both adults participate in incubation and care of the young. Incubation lasts approximately 25 to 26 days.
Identification Tips
- Look for a large, heavy-bodied turaco with glossy violet or bluish-purple plumage.
- The yellow forehead, reddish crown and nape, white ear-coverts and red bare skin around the eye create a distinctive facial pattern.
- The large, partly yellow and red bill is a strong identification feature.
- Crimson primary feathers are especially obvious when the bird flies between trees.
- Listen for a deep, rolling call, often repeated by several birds.
- Do not rely on the crest described in some older accounts. The Violet Turaco has a yellow frontal shield rather than a prominent upright crest.
- Ross’s Turaco can appear similar where ranges approach, but the Violet Turaco is distinguished by its facial pattern and strongly two-coloured bill. Their ranges overlap only limitedly.
Conservation Status
The Violet Turaco is currently assessed as Least Concern. It has a broad geographic range and remains locally common in parts of West Africa, but local populations may be affected by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and trapping for the wild-bird trade.
Protecting mature woodland, gallery forest and forest edges is important because these habitats provide feeding and nesting trees. Effective management of protected areas, enforcement against illegal trapping and the retention of tree cover in agricultural landscapes can help maintain local populations. No reliable global population estimate is used here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the Violet Turaco live?
The species occurs across much of West Africa, from southern Senegal and the Gambia eastwards through Nigeria, with additional records in north-western Cameroon and isolated areas farther inland.
What does the Violet Turaco eat?
It feeds mainly on fruit, including figs and other soft fruits. It may also eat flowers, buds, leaves, seeds and small invertebrates.
Is the Violet Turaco endangered?
The Violet Turaco is currently listed as Least Concern. However, habitat loss and trapping can cause local declines, particularly where woodland is heavily cleared or birds are captured for trade.
How can the Violet Turaco be identified?
Look for glossy violet plumage, a yellow forehead, reddish crown and nape, white ear-coverts, red skin around the eye, a large red-and-yellow bill and crimson wing feathers visible in flight.
Does the Violet Turaco migrate?
It is generally regarded as a resident species rather than a regular migrant. Local movements may occur when birds follow seasonal food resources or disperse through suitable woodland.
Where is a good place to see a Violet Turaco?
Mole National Park and Shai Hills Resource Reserve in Ghana, and Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal, are documented protected areas where the species can be sought. Listening for its loud call is often more productive than searching the canopy silently.
References
- IOC World Bird List
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Key Biodiversity Areas Partnership
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