Mousebirds (ID Guide With Pictures)
Mousebirds are cool birds that live only in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. They look a bit like mice because of their soft feathers and the way they scurry around trees. There are six kinds of mousebirds, and they’re related to parrots and cockatoos. They’re special because they’re the only group of birds found just in Africa.
These birds have round bodies, pointy head feathers, and really long tails—about as long as a ruler if you count the tail. They love eating fruits, seeds, and flowers. When it’s time to sleep, mousebirds snuggle up together in nests they build from twigs and stuff. They lay up to seven eggs at a time. I’m going to tell you about the six different mousebird types next. They’re pretty interesting, so stay tuned!
Here we’ll learn about different types of Mousebirds
1. Genus Colius
1.1 Red-backed Mousebird (Colius castanotus)
Red-backed Mousebird is a bird with a mix of grey and brown feathers and a standout red back. It has a cool brown crest on its head, light-colored eyes, and a face that’s black with little white tips on the feathers. Its cheeks are grey, it has a two-tone beak, and its belly is a soft buff color.
These birds aren’t too big, growing about as long as a school ruler, and they’re pretty light, weighing less than a deck of cards.
They make a scratchy “chee” sound as their call.
You can find them in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, living in places like woods, grassy fields, the edges of forests, farms, and dry, thorny areas.
The Red-backed Mousebird is doing okay in the wild; there are enough of them, but they don’t live in a very big area. Still, people aren’t too worried about them right now.
1.2 Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)
Speckled Mousebird is a bird with lots of different looks, depending on where it lives. They usually have brown tops and light brown bottoms, with blackish faces and grey-brown crests. Their eyes can be dark or light.
They’re not very heavy, weighing about the same as a small apple. They’re pretty long too, from the tip of their beak to the end of their tail, they’re about as long as a big school ruler.
You can find them all over Africa, in places like bushy areas, grassy fields, gardens, fruit trees, woods, and near forests.
Their sound is a rough “chee” noise, but they make other sounds too.
The Speckled Mousebird is doing well; they live in many places and there are more and more of them, so people aren’t worried about them disappearing.
1.3 White-backed Mousebird (Colius colius)
White-backed Mousebird is a neat bird with a grey body, a white patch on its back, and a grey head.
It has a cool dark mask on its face, a shiny beak with a black end, and a dark tail. Its tummy is a light tan color, it has red legs, and its eyes are dark.
They’re not too big, about as long as a foot-long sub, and they weigh as little as a couple of batteries.
These birds hang out on farms, bushy beaches, and dry places with lots of shrubs. They live in the southern parts of Africa like South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.
Their call sounds like “cheee-wee-wee-wiit.”
The White-backed Mousebird is doing great in the wild. There are plenty of them, and their numbers are growing, so they’re not in danger right now.
1.4 White-headed Mousebird (Colius leucocephalus)
White-headed Mousebirds is a pretty bird with a mix of grey-brown and white. Also, It has a white head with a cool crest and a dark mask around its face and throat.
Its beak is blue-grey with a dark tip, and there’s a white line along its back. The rest of its body is a soft brown.
They make a gentle “tet” sound.
These birds live in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, in dry areas with thorny plants and grasslands.
They’re about the length of a big pencil and weigh as little as a light bulb.
White-headed Mousebird is doing just fine in the wild, with lots of them around, so they’re not in any danger right now.
2. Genus Urocolius
2.1 Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus)
The Blue-naped Mousebird is a bird with a mix of grey and brown on its back, a light brown head, and a cool blue spot on its neck. It has a red beak and red skin around its eyes.
When they fly, they make a low “true” sound.
These birds live in dry grasslands and sometimes in woodlands and bushy places in eastern, western, and central Africa.
They’re not too heavy, about the same as a few spoons, and they’re as long as a small ruler.
Even though there are fewer of them now, there are still enough Blue-naped Mousebirds around, so they’re not considered at risk.
2.2 Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus)
The Red-faced Mousebird is a bird with a greyish-brown coat and a lighter belly with a tan chest. It’s known for the red skin on its face and forehead, and a red beak with a black tip.
They’re pretty long, about the size of a small forearm, and light, weighing about as much as a light bulb to a deck of cards.
They live in various places in southern and central Africa, like open grasslands, bushy areas, and near people’s homes in orchards and woods.
Their call is a unique “ti-wii-wii” sound they make while flying.
These birds aren’t considered at risk right now because they have a big home range, but we’re not sure if there are more or fewer of them these days.
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Final Thoughts:
Mousebirds are amazing African birds with chubby bodies and long tails. They’re a must-see in Africa!
The good news: they’re not at risk because there are plenty of them and they live all over the place.
But, like many animals, they face dangers like losing their homes and people bothering their nests. They’re also caught for pets, which isn’t good.
Luckily, they’re pretty adaptable. As towns grow, they find new places to live and more food, which helps them thrive.
