Purple-crested Turaco

The Purple-crested Turaco (Gallirex porphyreolophus), often still referred to by locals as the “Loerie,” is a striking bird of southern Africa’s woodlands and riverine forests. Its vibrant plumage owes its green and red colours to unique copper-based pigments — turacoverdin and turacin — rather than structural coloration, making turacos the only birds with true green and red pigments. Remarkably, a red feather can even tint water pink if stirred.

Equipped with semi-zygodactyl feet, one toe can rotate backward or forward, giving the bird a remarkable grip as it moves nimbly through dense branches. The Purple-crested Turaco is social and noisy, often heard before seen, and its expressive crest, vivid colours, and agile movements make it a memorable and unmistakable resident of southern Africa’s forests.