The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word TOURACO
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
T
O
U
R
A
C
O
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "crested African bird" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case crested african bird = touraco.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TOURACO mean?
TOURACO noun- Any of the birds in the Musophagidae family with vivid colouring and prominent crest.