Animalia Life
Colius striatus
TAXONOMY
Colius striatus Gmelin, 1789, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa.
Nineteen subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Speckled mousebird; French: Coliou striй, coliou rayй;
German: Gestreifter Mausvogel, Braunflьgel-Mausvogel; Spanish:
Pбjaro-ratуn Comъn.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
10.2–14.2 in (26–36 cm); 1.3–2.8 oz (36–80 g). Feathers are
mostly gray-brown, but the transverse bands are not distinct in
all subspecies. The more southerly subspecies have bills with
an entirely black upper mandible and a silver-gray lower
mandible; in the northerly subspecies, there is a white spot on
top of the upper mandible. Eastern African subspecies are also
characterized by white feathers at the sides of the head, which
give them the name, white-eared mousebirds. Color of iris
varies from white to brown and greenish; the color may also
differ above or below the pupil.
DISTRIBUTION
Nigeria to Eritrea, Somalia, across the Congo to northern Angola,
and from eastern Africa to the western Cape.
HABITAT
Forest edge, riverine forest, open woodland, and dense brush,
as well as cultivated land, secondary growth, gardens, and parks.
BEHAVIOR
Live mostly in family groups, highly sedentary.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Fruits, buds, and leaves, and crops in cultivation and in human
settlements.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeding throughout the year if conditions are good, and in
areas with dry seasons when food is available.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened, even spreading in cultivated areas as observed
in southern and eastern Africa.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Not liked by humans because they cause damage to orchards
and gardens.
Photo Gallery of - Bar-breasted mousebird
