The white-bellied go-away-bird (Crinifer leucogaster) has a long, pointed tail that is gray and black, with a distinctive white band in the middle. It also features a white patch under both wings, which is only visible during flight. Adult birds have a gray head that gradually transitions to dark gray, leading up to a sharp black crest. As its name suggests, the bird’s belly is white, as are the feathers underneath the tail. Males and females tend to look alike, though females are generally larger, weighing between 225g and 250g, while males weigh 170g to 225g.
This species is found across a vast area in East and Northeast Africa, including Somalia, Western Ethiopia, South Sudan, Northeast Uganda, Northern and Eastern Kenya, and southward to the eastern highlands of Tanzania. These birds prefer to live in hot acacia savannas, grasslands, and forested areas. The white-bellied go-away-bird primarily feeds on plant material, such as fruits, flowers, nectar, seeds, and acacia tree shoots. It is also known to eat some invertebrates, such as winged termites, which it finds while foraging.
The breeding season usually begins with the onset of the rainy season, during which the birds become much noisier. Courtship behavior includes chases from tree to tree accompanied by elaborate displays. These birds are monogamous, and there have been reports of them foraging together as pairs. Nests are typically built in acacia-like trees, about 3 to 12 meters above the ground. Two to three eggs are laid inside and incubated for about 4 weeks. The chicks’ first flight occurs around 4 to 5 weeks after hatching.
The population of the white-bellied go-away-bird has not been quantified, but its conservation status is listed as “Least Concern.” This is due to the bird’s population, believed to be well over 10,000 mature individuals, and its widespread range across more than 3 million square kilometers.
