Corythaixoides concolor
Named for its distinctive call, often giving advance warning of approaching danger, the Grey Go-away-bird, or Grey Lourie, is a large (50cm long, weighing up to 300g) and easily recognisable bird occurring in groups numbering from 2 or 3 to as many as 30.
The Grey Go-away-bird inhabits open woodlands and savanna, rich in fruiting trees and with easily accessible water sources, and has of late become increasingly numerous in towns and cities across its range. They feed primarily on fruits and berries, but also consume flowers, nectar, buds, leaves, snails and insects.
Grey Go-away-birds breed throughout the year, with a peak in the spring and summer months. The nests are flimsy constructions of sticks and twigs, and clutches usually consist of two or three eggs (range 1-4). Parental duties of incubation, which takes about 4 weeks, and chick rearing are shared equally between the male and female. The chicks are fed on regurgitated food and can fly when they’re about 35 days old, although they already leave the nest at about three weeks old.
With a stable population distributed over the DRC, Angola, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa, the Grey Go-away-bird is considered of least concern by the IUCN. In South Africa, Grey Go-away-birds can be commonly found in the provinces of Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with a small number in extreme northern Kwazulu-Natal. The population in the Kruger National Park alone is estimated at about 65,000 birds.
Die kwêêêêêêê voël… say no more!! 😉
LikeLike
Jy onthou mooi!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gorgeous absolutely great pics
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Elle!
LikeLike
Hulle kan darem baie vreet! Mooi foto’s dankie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jy is reg, Tina – hulle is nogal vraatsugtige boelies wanneer n mens kos uitsit vir die tuinvoels.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the tufts on their heads, it makes them appear very mischievous! Seen and heard lots of these in Mpumalanga.
LikeLiked by 1 person
One “mystery” about the grey lourie is why it has now almost totally disappeared from KZN – until the 1970s they were quite common in the north of the province.
LikeLike
I know. As a child we had them in the bush areas of the Bluff in Durban, where I grew up and they would sometimes come into the gardens. But I haven’t seen them on the Bluff for thirty years or anywhere else in KZN. Maybe other birds such as the Indian Mynah have forced them out of their KZN habitat.
LikeLike
A Grey Blue Jay! sounds like he sounds like one also!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Blue Jay sounds like a very cool bird, Teresa!
LikeLike
Ek onthou hoe opgewonde-bly my liewe buurvrou was toe die eerste kwêvoël in haar tuin opgedaag het, vele jare gelede…voorheen kon mens hulle net in die Wildtuin hoor!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ek dink ons reaksie was dieselfde, Tannie Frannie – n stukkie Wildtuin in ons tuin! Nou is hulle baie volop in Johannesburg en Pretoria.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ja! Ek en my kleinseuntjie het ons juis die week aan twee van hulle hoog bo in ons boom verwonder.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Danksy jou goeie beskrywing van hulle nes, kon ek nou sien dat die twee hulle nes in daardie boom gebou het!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Julle is so gelukkig dat julle die kwevoels se broeiproses van naby kan dophou, Tannie Frannie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ons is inderdaad!
LikeLike
Kwevoels, Love their crest!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A visit to Kruger wouldn’t be the same without the kwevoels, would it Maurice!?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Together with hornbills they are the antilopes of the sky – can’t miss them!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beautiful bird! With its plume upright, it reminds me of a cockatiel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve always thought exactly the same, Lois – our own indigenous cockatiel!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely bird! I love its appearance and its name!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you listed to its call, Deb?
LikeLike
I couldn’t get the link to work, but I found a YouTube video that featured the call. It’s quite unique!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry you had trouble with the link, Deb, but glad you found another way!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a good looking bird! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks H.J. It has several cousins that are much more colourful though!
LikeLiked by 1 person