Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The mousebirds are birds in the order Coliiformes. They are the sister group to the clade Cavitaves , which includes the Leptosomiformes (the cuckoo roller ), Trogoniformes ( trogons ), Bucerotiformes ( hornbills and hoopoes ), Piciformes ( woodpeckers , toucans , and barbets ) and Coraciformes ( kingfishers , bee-eaters , rollers , motmots ...
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.
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 white-backed mousebird (Colius colius) is a large species of mousebird. It is distributed in western and central regions of southern Africa from Namibia and southern Botswana eastwards to Central Transvaal and the eastern Cape. This mousebird prefers scrubby dry habitats, such as thornveld, fynbos scrub and semi-desert.
The species is found in the wild in the drier regions of West Africa to East Africa, as well as Sahel. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] It is one of the remaining six species of mousebirds . The term "mousebird" comes from its habit of running along branches in a way that resembles the scurrying of a mouse.
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.
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.
Folivorous – those who feed on leaves, petals and other plant material (turacos, mousebirds) This sixth diet type is usually in association with one of the above, as very few birds are solely folivorous. Several species of Galliformes are folivores, however they are not considered to be softbills.