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The great blue turaco is the largest turaco, about 70–75 cm long, with turquoise-blue upperparts, a tall black crest, a yellow-green belly and a bright yellow bill tipped with red. It lives in forest and forest edges across Central and West Africa, and in Uganda it is common and easy to see in Kibale, the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, Budongo, Mabira and even Entebbe’s Botanical Gardens. Its loud, bubbling calls are a classic sound of Ugandan forests.
Great Blue Turaco Uganda: The Spectacular Forest Bird Facts
Appearance and habits
Unlike most turacos, it has no red in its wings and flies rather weakly, gliding between trees and then running and hopping along branches. It travels in noisy family groups, feeding mainly on fruit, leaves and flowers, and is an important seed disperser. Groups call loudly to each other, a deep “kok-kok-kok” followed by rolling trills that carry far through the forest.
Where to see it
The Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary next to Kibale is one of the best places, often combined with chimp tracking. It is also common along forest roads in Kibale, in Budongo near Murchison Falls, in Mabira Forest between Kampala and Jinja, and in the Botanical Gardens in Entebbe, a good first sighting on arrival. See our guides to Kibale and Bigodi and the Rwenzori turaco.
Birding beyond the gorillas
Uganda’s forests are full of spectacular birds, from turacos and hornbills to sunbirds, and a Kibale and Bwindi trip covers many of them. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to Uganda birding and the black-and-white-casqued hornbill.
Frequently asked questions
Bigodi, Kibale, Budongo, Mabira and Entebbe’s Botanical Gardens.
About 70–75 cm long, the largest turaco.
Mainly fruit, plus leaves and flowers.
No, it lacks the red wing feathers of most turacos.
