It must have been a grizzly scene. An Italian prince, related to the House of Bonaparte, lying crushed to death on the ground. Prince Eugenio Ruspoli met his bitter end in Somalia in 1893 while trying to make his way up along the Jubba River towards Lake Turkana. Along the way he encountered an elephant and apparently after firing upon it, the elephant grabbed him using its trunk and swung him around, before throwing him to the ground and trampling him to death. That was that for Prince Ruspoli. But among his possessions was a bird, and it was quite a spectacular one at that, and our feature this month.
 
It is difficult now to look back and muster much empathy for Mr. Ruspoli. While this was a man who had explored a considerable amount of East Africa discovering four new species of birds, and making contributions to the scientific record, he and his team robbed and murdered people all along their journey. Dying at the feet of an elephant was perhaps some measure of karma or justice. Neither was he a great note-taker apparently, and while a specimen of this spectacular turaco was among his remaining articles, there were no notes as to where he had collected it. So there it was... A bold new bird species owning an unknown range. The mystery of this bird's home, habits, and population dynamics continued enshrouded in mystery for decades until the 1940s when another was finally found in what is now known as its range. Confined to just a small part of southern Ethiopia, this outlandish looking bird keeps pretty modest quarters. Lucky for those of us today who thrill at such spectacular birds, this one while listed as vulnerable and decreasing by BirdLife International/IUCN, is still relatively easily found on our visits to amazing Ethiopia.
 
And the Turacos, found only in Africa, with their brilliant plumage and personality, long tails, crimson wings, and scrambling ambles, are really just the start. Ethiopia has three ~endemic and monotypic genera, including the enigmatic Zavattariornis (Stresemann's Bushcrow), Cyanochen (Blue-winged Goose), and Rougetius (Rouget's Rail, also found in Eritrea). Combine these with other astounding wildlife, the rich history and culture, and some great coffee for those early mornings, and there is nothing else like it. And, Ethiopia was never colonized by Europeans and there is also no real tradition of hunting, making birds and wildlife there quite approachable.
 
Many of you have tuned into our weekly Dream Destinations webinars and we're soon to add a Virtual Quiz as well. If you haven't yet checked out the webinars, or want to reminisce about a trip you've had to magical Ethiopia, be sure to enjoy Nigel Redman's rundown on one of his favorite spots. You can see all our scheduled departures here or contact our Tailor-made Team and we'll put together a custom trip for you and your friends.
 
In the meantime, stay safe. We hope you're enjoying some birds. If you want to share photos of the birds you've been seeing while at home during COVID, we're happy to share them on our social media with your Rockjumper friends. Please email them to: marketing (at) rockjumper.com. And we hope to see you Weds too for our next webinar on the Pantanal of Brazil by Stephan Lorenz on Weds!
 
Sincerely,
Team Rockjumper