- Colius striatus
Identification
L. 35 cm. (14") the tail comprising approximately half the length.
Adult
- Black mask.
- Dull mouse-brown color.
- Prominent crest.
- Bicolored bill, black upper mandible and whitish pink lower mandible.
- Feet and legs purplish brown to pink.
- Sexes alike.
Juvenile
Similar to adult but duller with shorter crest; lacks black eye patch.
Similar Species
Distinguished from White-backed Mousebird and Red-faced Mousebird by its bicolored bill, black eye patch and drabber brown color.
Distribution
Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, south through eastern Africa to southern South Africa.
Taxonomy
This is a polytypic species[1]. which may be divided into three subspecies Groups:
- The nigricollis group in the northwest part of its range.
- Pale culmen spot; forehead and throat blackish; breast and neck barred; feet red or pink.
- The leucotis group in the East.
- Bluish or whitish culmen spot; contrasting pale ear-coverts; barred to blackish throat; reddish feet.
- The striatus group in the South.
- All black upper mandible; lacks contrasting pale ear patch; lacks blackish throat.
These groups reportedly hybridize only rarely suggesting they may be full species[2].
Subspecies
Colius striatus has 17 subspecies[1]:
- C. s. nigricollis: Nigeria to Cameroon, Gabon and southwest Congo
- C. s. striatus: southern Cape Province east to Great Kei River (South Africa)
- C. s. minor: eastern South Africa (south to KwaZulu-Natal), eSwatini, and extreme southern Mozambique
- C. s. integralis: southeastern Zimbabwe, northeastern South Africa, and southern Mozambique (south to Delagoa Bay)
- C. s. simulans: lower Zambezi valley in Mozambique and Malawi
- C. s. rhodesiae: highlands of east Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique
- C. s. affinis: Zimbabwe to Malawi, northern Mozambique, southern and coastal Tanzania
- C. s. mombassicus: south Somalia to coastal Kenya and northeast Tanzania (south to Amani)
- C. s. cinerascens: west and south Tanzania
- C. s. berlepschi: northern Malawi to northeast Zambia and southwest Tanzania
- C. s. kikuyensis: central Kenya and high rainfall areas of peripheral northern Tanzania
- C. s. kiwuensis: eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to Uganda, Rwanda, and northwestern Tanzania
- C. s. congicus: eastern Angola to southern Democratic Republic of the Congo and northwestern Zambia
- C. s. jebelensis: northern border of Uganda and South Sudan
- C. s. leucotis: east Sudan to west and southwest Ethiopia
- C. s. hilgerti: northeast Ethiopia, southwest Djibouti and northwest Somalia
- C. s. leucophthalmus: northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Sudan and southeastern Central African Republic
Habitat
Open bush, savanna, open woodlands, thickets, orchards and gardens.
Behaviour
Action
They are social birds and roost in groups of 20 or more at night. They sometimes hang from a branch with all four toes pointing forward. Flight weak and floppy. They reportedly go into a state of torpor or semi-hibernation to conserve energy, an adaptation for their low-calorie, fruit-based diet.
Diet
The diet includes fruits, berries, leaves, seeds and nectar.
Breeding
Both sexes build a cup shaped nest of vegetable and animal material. 1 to 7 eggs (usually 3 or 4) are laid and incubated for 14 days. The young are fed by both parents and also by helpers, which usually consist of juveniles from previous clutches. Fledging takes place at 17 or 18 days. After a little over a month, the nestlings will begin foraging for themselves.
Vocalisation
Scratchy, raspy "churrs" or harsh "zhrrik-zhrrik" given perched and in flight.
Movements
Sedentary. Local dispersal for food availability.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- de Juana, E. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/55676 on 23 June 2018).
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
- Sinclair, I., Hockey, P.A.R., and Arlott, N. (2005). The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town. ISBN 978-1775840992
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Speckled Mousebird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Speckled_Mousebird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
