Ross’s turaco is a striking deep violet-purple turaco with a bright yellow face, bill and crest and crimson wing feathers that flash in flight. It lives in forest edges, riverine woodland and wooded gardens across central Africa, and in Uganda it is fairly widespread, seen in places such as Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha and Kyambura areas, Kibale’s edges, Mabira and around Entebbe. Its loud, cackling calls carry far.

Ross’s Turaco Uganda: The Purple Turaco Complete Guide

Appearance and habits

Ross’s turaco is about 50 cm long. The red in its wings, like that of other turacos, comes from turacin, a copper-based pigment, while its purple comes from feather structure and pigments. It feeds mainly on fruit and leaves, moving through trees by running along branches and making short glides, usually in pairs or small groups.

Where to see it

Look in fruiting trees along rivers and forest edges in Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth and around Kibale, and in gardens and woodland near Entebbe and Kampala. Calls are often the best clue. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to the great blue turaco, the Rwenzori turaco, Lake Mburo and Uganda birding.

Frequently asked questions

Distribution in Uganda

Ross’s turaco is found in moist woodland and forest habitat across much of Uganda, particularly in areas with dense woodland and gallery forest. In Uganda it ranges across the western and central regions, including forest patches in the north around Budongo. It tends to occupy dense woodland and forest edge rather than closed-canopy primary forest, and is often found in riverine vegetation and well-wooded gardens at forest edge. The species is less commonly recorded than the great blue turaco and has a more restricted distribution in Uganda.

Appearance and Identification

Ross’s turaco is unmistakable at close range: the body plumage is deep, rich purple-blue with a green wash on the back and wings, the bill is yellow, and the crest is a remarkable deep crimson. When the bird flies, the primary wing feathers — also crimson — flash conspicuously. Like all turacos, the red and crimson colours come from pigments unique to the turaco family (turacin and turacoverdin) that are water-soluble; a rain-soaked turaco in a zoo was famously reputed to turn the water red. The species is most easily located by its loud, distinctive call.

Conservation Status

Ross’s turaco is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN and is widespread across sub-Saharan Africa from West Africa east to Uganda and south to Angola. Uganda’s population is stable and part of the species’ eastern range.

Best Sites

Ross’s turaco is most frequently encountered at forest-edge sites in western and central Uganda, including Budongo Forest, Kibale National Park, and Bwindi. The bird calls frequently in the early morning and can be located by its call. It is less reliable at specific sites than the great blue turaco but encountered regularly on birding excursions through western Uganda’s forested regions.

Ross’s Turaco: Identification Tips

Ross’s turaco is most likely to be confused with other turacos at a distance. The deep crimson wing flash in flight, combined with the yellow bill and crest, separates it from Rwenzori turaco (which has an all-red crest without yellow and occurs at higher altitude). The call is a loud rolling cackle similar to other large turacos and is often the first sign of the bird’s presence. At Budongo Forest, the species is most reliably seen in the first few hours after dawn when it calls frequently. The Buseruka Forest near Lake Albert is an occasionally visited site that can produce Ross’s turaco alongside other western Uganda species.

Ross’s Turaco: Bwindi Population

The Ross’s turaco population in Uganda is concentrated in the forest zone of the southwest and west, with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park holding the most accessible population. In Bwindi, Ross’s turaco is encountered on forest walks in all four sectors — Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo, and Rushaga — and is often heard long before it is seen, the groups producing a far-carrying, resonant series of calls audible across the forest canopy. The deep purple plumage of Ross’s turaco is unique among Uganda’s birds, and the combination of purple body, red crest, and red-and-yellow facial skin creates an unmistakable appearance. Unlike the great blue turaco, Ross’s is genuinely forest-interior rather than forest-edge, requiring entry into primary or mature secondary forest for reliable encounters rather than edge viewing from roads.