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Mousebirds are slender greyish or brown birds with soft, hairlike body feathers. They are typically about 10 cm (3.9 in) in body length, with a long, thin tail a further 20–24 cm (7.9–9.4 in) in length, and weigh 45–55 g (1.6–1.9 oz). [5] They are arboreal and scurry through the leaves like rodents, in search of berries, fruit and buds.
Red-faced mousebird Urocolius indicus in flight. They are typically about 32 cm (13 in) long omnivorous birds, eating insects, small millipedes and plant material. Urocolius indicus in particular eats a great deal of fruit, leaves, buds, flowers, nectar and similar material.
The red-faced mousebird is a frugivore which subsists on fruits, berries, leaves, seeds and nectar. [2] Its flight is typically fast, strong and direct from one feeding area to another. This is a social bird outside the breeding season, feeding together in small groups, normally of about half a dozen birds, but sometimes up to 15 or more.
Blue-naped mousebird perched. The blue-naped mousebird is a fairly small to medium-sized bird, measuring 33–38 cm (13–15 in) in length including the elongated tail of 20–28 cm (7.9–11.0 in), weighing 34–65 g (1.2–2.3 oz). [3] Adults have an ash grey plumage which is darker at top and lighter at bottom. [5]
This bird is about 34 cm (13.5 in) long, with the tail comprising approximately half the length, and weighs 38–64 g (1.3–2.3 oz). The upper parts, head, prominent crest and breast are grey apart from a white back stripe flanked by two broad black stripes and a dark red, or maroon, transverse band at the base of the tail.
The speckled mousebird may breed at any time of the year. The nest is a large (for the bird) and untidy cup made of vegetable and animal material (sometimes including cloth and paper) and is constructed by both the male and female. Clutch size ranges from one to seven eggs (apparently based on latitude), but usually averages 3–4.
Many animals regularly visit mineral licks to consume clay, supplementing their diet with nutrients and minerals. In tropical bats, lick visitation is associated with a diet based on wild figs (), which have very low levels of sodium, [3] [4] and licks are mostly used by females that are pregnant or lactating.
Colius is a genus of mousebirds in the family Coliidae.The four species are widely distributed in Africa. Two other African mousebirds are placed in the genus Urocolius.. The genus Colius was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the white-backed mousebird (Colius colius) as the type species.