There is a bird in Uganda’s rainforests that looks less like a product of evolution and more like a living jewel. It is the size of a crow, with plumage that shimmers in shades of turquoise and cobalt, a crest that stands upright like a crown, and a flash of brilliant crimson on its wings that appears only in flight. When it moves through the canopy, it does so with a grace that seems almost deliberate — as if it knows exactly how photogenic it is.
It is the Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) — the largest and most spectacular member of the turaco family, and, by any measure, one of the most photogenic birds in Africa. It is noisy, social, and conspicuous — the opposite of Uganda’s many secretive forest species — and it is found in forests across the country, from the botanical gardens of Entebbe to the rainforests of Kibale and Bwindi.
This is the complete guide to the Great Blue Turaco — what it is, why it is so remarkable, where to see it in Uganda, and how to photograph it.
What Is a Great Blue Turaco?
The Largest Turaco in the World
The Great Blue Turaco is the largest species of turaco — a family of brightly coloured, fruit-eating birds found across sub-Saharan Africa. At 70 to 76 centimetres in length, it is significantly larger than any of its relatives, and it is the sole member of the subfamily Corythaeolinae within the turaco family.
It was first described by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816, who named it Musophaga cristata. German ornithologist Ferdinand Heine later placed it in its own genus, Corythaeola, in 1860. Its closest relatives are the go-away birds and plantain eaters of the genus Crinifer, from which it diverged millions of years ago.
Physical Characteristics: A Living Jewel
The Great Blue Turaco is unmistakable. Its most striking features are:
The plumage. The adult has predominantly grey-blue upperparts with an upright blue-black crest around 10 centimetres high. The underparts are a yellowish-green to deep brown, and the tail bears black and yellow barring. The male and female have similar plumage, making them difficult to distinguish in the field.
The bill. The bill is bright yellow, providing a vivid contrast against the blue-grey plumage.
The red wing flash. The most dramatic feature of the Great Blue Turaco is its brilliant red primary feathers, which are revealed only in flight. When the bird spreads its wings, the crimson flash is unmistakable and unforgettable — one of the most striking visual displays of any African bird.
Size and weight. Adults weigh between 800 and 1,231 grams, with some sources reporting weights up to 1,231 grams.
A Bird of the Rainforest Canopy
The Great Blue Turaco is a bird of the African tropical rainforest, found across a vast range that stretches from Sierra Leone and Guinea in West Africa to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in the east, and south to Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its global range covers approximately 8,220,000 square kilometres — an area larger than Australia — making it the most widespread of all turacos.
Within this range, it is a bird of the forest canopy, rarely descending to the ground except to drink or to cross gaps between trees. It is diurnal, active during the day, and it relies on flight to move between fruiting trees.
Behaviour: The Social Butterfly of the Forest
Groups and Social Structure
Unlike many of Uganda’s forest birds, which are secretive and solitary, the Great Blue Turaco is noisy, social, and conspicuous. It moves through the forest canopy in groups of 3 to 8 birds, feeding on fruit and leaves as it goes. These groups are not simply feeding aggregations — they are social units that move, roost, and call together.
The birds are gregarious and pair off to breed, but they remain part of a larger social group throughout the year. Towards late evening, the group moves to a communal roost, showing a marked preference for very tall trees.
Communication and Call
The Great Blue Turaco is one of the most vocal birds in the African rainforest. Its call is a loud, deep, croaking sound that carries far through the forest and announces the group’s presence from a considerable distance. The call has been described as a series of “jeeeow” long calls and rapid “kok” short notes, and it is one of the most recognisable sounds of the Ugandan forest.
The call serves multiple functions: it maintains contact between group members, advertises territory, and warns of danger. In the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Mbuti people call the Great Blue Turaco “kulkoko” and associate it with okapis — they say the turaco warns the okapi of danger by calling loudly.
Diet: A Frugivore with a Taste for Leaves
The Great Blue Turaco is primarily a frugivore — a fruit eater. Studies of its diet have shown that 73% of its food consists of fruits, with 0.9% flowers and 25% leaves. When fruit is scarce, leaf consumption can increase to up to 50% of the diet.
The species feeds on the fruits of at least 47 plant species, including figs, and it is an important seed disperser in the forests it inhabits. It is particularly fond of bananas and plantains — hence the alternative common name, “blue plantain eater”.
Flight: A Reluctant Aviator
Despite its size, the Great Blue Turaco is described as a poor flier, capable of covering distances of only about 200 metres at a stretch. It compensates with agility in the canopy, running along horizontal branches with its crest raised and using short glides to move between trees.
When it does take flight, however, the result is spectacular — the brilliant red wing flash is revealed in full, making even a short flight a photographic opportunity.
Reproduction: Flimsy Nests and Devoted Parents
The Great Blue Turaco breeds year-round, with a peak during the wet season. The female lays two eggs, which are incubated for 29 to 31 days. The chicks fledge at around 31 to 38 days but remain dependent on their parents until they are approximately three months old.
One of the most unusual aspects of the species’ breeding biology is its nest construction. Great Blue Turacos typically build flimsy nests that can leave eggs at risk of rolling out or falling if the nest collapses. In captivity, zoos have had to build stronger, alternative nest sites to minimise the risk of losing eggs.
Where to See Great Blue Turacos in Uganda
Entebbe Botanical Gardens: The Most Accessible Site
Entebbe Botanical Gardens is the single best place in Uganda — and arguably in all of Africa — to see and photograph the Great Blue Turaco. The gardens, on the shores of Lake Victoria, hold a resident population of Great Blue Turacos that are accustomed to humans and frequently perch in the open canopy of mature forest trees.
The birds are described as “common — often at close range in canopy”, making them the most accessible Uganda photography subject for this species. Photographers can expect frame-filling shots with a 300–500mm lens, particularly in the early morning from 7:00 to 9:00 AM when the birds are most active and the light is best.
Kibale National Park: The Forest Stronghold
Kibale National Park is another excellent site for Great Blue Turacos. The species is common in the canopy throughout the forest, and it is best seen at forest edges, where birds sit in the open and call frequently.
The park’s main trail offers abundant opportunities for sightings, and the birds are often encountered in the company of other frugivores, including red-tailed monkeys and chestnut-winged starlings.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park holds Great Blue Turacos in its mid-altitude forests. The birds are regularly recorded on forest walks and gorilla trekking excursions, and their loud calls are a constant feature of the Bwindi soundscape.
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, adjacent to Kibale, is a community-run conservation area where Great Blue Turacos are frequently seen. The sanctuary’s riverine forest and swamp edges provide ideal habitat for the species, and the guided wetland walk is one of the most reliable ways to see them.
Mabira Central Forest Reserve
Mabira Central Forest Reserve, one hour from Kampala, is another important site for the species. The reserve’s mature forest canopy supports a resident population, and the birds are regularly recorded on guided walks.
Semuliki National Park and Maramagambo Forest
Semuliki National Park — Uganda’s only true lowland rainforest — and Maramagambo Forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park both hold Great Blue Turacos, though they are less reliable than the sites listed above.
Conservation Status: Stable but Vulnerable to Habitat Loss
The Great Blue Turaco is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a global population trend described as stable to decreasing. The species has an extremely large range and a population size that is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable status.
However, the IUCN assessment notes that tree cover within the species’ mapped range has declined by 18.1% over the past three generations, and it is tentatively suspected that this loss of cover may have led to a decline of between 1 and 19% in the species’ population.
In Uganda, the species remains common in suitable habitat, but it is vulnerable to the same threats that affect all forest-dependent birds: deforestation, agricultural expansion, and habitat fragmentation. The protection of Uganda’s national parks and forest reserves — including Kibale, Bwindi, and Mabira — is essential for the species’ long-term survival.
Photographing the Great Blue Turaco: A Practical Guide
Equipment
The Great Blue Turaco is a large, relatively slow-moving bird that often perches in the open, making it more accessible to photographers than many forest species. The ideal equipment is:
A 300–500mm telephoto lens — sufficient for frame-filling shots at the distances typical in Entebbe Botanical Gardens and Kibale.
A camera with good high-ISO performance — forest light can be challenging, and a minimum shutter speed of 1/500s for perched birds is recommended.
A tripod or monopod — useful for stabilising long lenses, though the birds’ mobility may require handheld shooting.
Settings
For forest bird photography in Uganda, the following settings are recommended:
Auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed of 1/500s for perched birds and 1/1000s for active birds.
Aperture priority at f/5.6 or f/6.3 — enough depth of field to keep the bird sharp while maximising light.
Subject tracking autofocus — birds in dappled forest light are challenging for focus systems.
RAW format — for maximum post-processing flexibility in low-light forest images.
Technique
Wait for the open perch. The Great Blue Turaco often perches in the open canopy, but it can also be obscured by branches. Wait for the bird to reach a position with a clear sky or green background — avoid busy branch backgrounds.
Be ready for the wing flash. The red primary feathers are revealed only in flight. If the bird takes off, be ready to capture the moment — it is the most dramatic image you will get.
Visit in the early morning. The best light and most active birds are found from 7:00 to 9:00 AM.
Visit during the wet season. The wet season (March–May) is excellent for turaco photography, as birds are more active and the green vegetation provides photogenic backgrounds.
A Sample Turaco-Focused Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Entebbe. Afternoon visit to Entebbe Botanical Gardens for Great Blue Turaco photography.
Day 2: Morning photography session at Entebbe Botanical Gardens. Afternoon transfer to Kibale National Park.
Day 3: Morning chimpanzee trekking. Afternoon turaco photography along Kibale’s main trail. Evening at Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.
Day 4: Full-day birding in Kibale, targeting Great Blue Turaco and other forest species.
Day 5: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Afternoon forest walk for turacos and other birds.
Day 6: Gorilla trekking in the morning. Afternoon birding for Great Blue Turaco and Albertine Rift endemics.
Day 7: Return to Entebbe. Departure.
The Verdict: A Bird Worth Every Photograph
The Great Blue Turaco is not Uganda’s rarest bird, nor its most endangered. It does not have the prehistoric mystique of the shoebill or the global fame of the mountain gorilla. What it has is something rarer: a combination of size, colour, and accessibility that makes it the most photogenic bird in Uganda.
It is large enough to photograph with a modest telephoto lens. It is colourful enough to make every image a work of art. It is social and noisy enough to find without difficulty. And it is found in some of Uganda’s most accessible forests — from the botanical gardens of Entebbe to the rainforests of Kibale and Bwindi.
For photographers, it is the perfect subject. For birders, it is a highlight of any Ugandan list. For travellers, it is a reminder that Uganda’s forests hold more than gorillas and chimpanzees — they hold birds of extraordinary beauty, waiting to be seen.
The Great Blue Turaco is Uganda’s most photogenic bird. And it is waiting for you.
Ready to photograph Uganda’s most spectacular bird? Contact TravelGiantUganda.com to plan your birding and photography adventure — with expert guides, access to the best sites, and accommodation arranged for you.
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