The sexes are similar having an almost uniform smoky-grey plumage with long tails and a wispy, back-swept crest of some 6 to 7 cm in length.

The crest can be raised almost vertically when excited.

The strong, decurved beak is black and the gape and tongue strikingly pink.

The plumage is darkest grey on the chin and throat, and palest around the eyes and on the belly. The breast plumage is washed slightly olive.

Scientific name:

Corythaixoides concolor

Common names:

Grey Go-away-bird

Synonyms:

Lourie, Grey Lourie, Grey Loerie, Kwêvoël

Roberts VII english name:

Grey Go-away-bird

Roberts VII scientific name:

Corythaixoides concolor

Family:

Turacos (Musophagidae)

Length:

47-51cm

Weight:

200-300g

Diet:

Its diet is mainly fruit (such as wild figs and berries), flowers, buds, leaves, termites, and snails. Fruit are obtained from plants in the genera Ficus, Viscum, Loranthus, Diospyros, Lannea, Ziziphus, Salvadora and Flueggea, among others. They also feed on fruit of exotic invasives like Seringa, and disperse their seeds.

Habits:

Though their flight is rather slow and laboured, they can cover long distances. Once in the open tree tops however, they can display the agility which is associated with the Musophagidae family, as they run along tree limbs and jump from branch to branch. They can form groups and parties numbering 20 to 30 that move about in search of fruit and insects near the tree tops.

Nesting:

The flimsy nest platform is built from fairly thin, and often thorny sticks. It has the appearance of a substantial dove's nest, and their almost round, white eggs can be seen from below.

Usually three eggs are laid in a nest that is placed at the center of an isolated tree. The adults share all parental duties, and the chicks start clambering about before they are able to fly.

The chicks are covered in dense brownish down, and are fed regurgitated food by the parents. The breeding season is July to August in Angola, April to November in Malawi, August to September in Zambia, Sept and December to April in Namibia and all months in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Natural distribution:

It is native to southern Angola, southern DRC, Zambia, southern Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland.

Habitat:

It occupies any arid to moist, and relatively open savanna woodlands, especially where Acacia trees are present. They frequent the edges of Miombo woodland, and occur commonly along water courses, dry riparian forest and in Acacia woodland on alluvium.

It also occurs commonly on farms and in suburban gardens and parks.

They require water, and disperse along tributaries of desert rivers when water flows. It is absent from areas that lack suitable fruiting trees, and seems to desert areas where bush encroachment occurs. They have no regular migrations, but wander about irregularly in search of food and water.