The white-crested turaco was first described in 1855 by the German explorer and ornithologist Theodor von Heuglin. Genetic studies show that this species is closely related to the red-crested turaco (Tauraco erthrolophus) and Bannerman's turaco (Tauraco bannermanii), having diverged from them in the late Pliocene.
The white-crested turaco, a species first described in 1855 by Theodor von Heuglin, is genetically linked to the red-crested turaco and Bannerman's turaco, both of which diverged from them during the late Pliocene.