#coliiformes

[herpsandbirds]

Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus), family Coliidae, order Coliiformes, Uganda

photograph by Ben Knoot

[best-bird-tournament]

Mousebirds (Coliiformes) order / Coliidae family

Which is the best bird?

Red-faced mousebird

White-headed mousebird

Speckled mousebird

Blue-naped mousebird

Red-backed mousebird

White-backed mousebird

Voting ended onJan 23

This order, which contains many extinct species, contains just six extant species in two genera (Urocolius and Colius).

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Reptilia - Coliiformes

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of birds are the Coliiformes, commonly called “mousebirds”. Coliiformes contain only one living family, Coliidae, and 6 species within two genera.

Mousebirds are small, slender, grey or brown birds with soft, hairlike body feathers. They have stubby bills, crests, and a long, thin tail. They get their common name from their arboreal habits, scurrying along branches like rodents, in search of berries, fruit, nectar, and buds. They are acrobatic, and can feed upside down, even hanging by one toenail. All species have strong claws and reversible outer toes (pamprodactyl feet). They are endemic only to wooded areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

Mousebirds are social, found in flocks of around 20. Flocks engage in mutual preening and sleep together at night. Pairs are monogamous for extended periods of time, and some breed co-operatively. They build cup-shaped twig nests in trees, lining them with grasses or wool. Nest material is brought by the male and assembled by the female. Both sexes incubate the egg, usually the female at night and the male during the day. Chicks grow quickly.

The family is documented to exist from the Early Paleocene, around 62.5 million years ago, and was once much more diverse and widespread.

(source)

Do you have a favorite in Coliiformes?

One or more of my favorite animals is in Coliiformes

I love at least one or more of these animals

I like at least one or more of these animals

I am neutral about all of these animals

I dislike all of these animals

Voting ended onMay 11, 2025

Propaganda under the cut:

The Mousebirds could be considered "living fossils" as the six species living today are merely the survivors of a lineage that was massively more diverse in the early Paleogene and Miocene, and once ranged into Europe and North America.

Red-backed Mousebirds (Colius castanotus) breed cooperatively, with other parents helping raise the chicks of their flock members. Males may help guard the nests of other pairs, while females share nests.

On cold nights, Speckled Mousebirds (Colius striatus) may go into torpor to conserve energy. Being in a torpid state could make them easy prey, but their large flocks are apparently effective enough to deter most nocturnal predators.

[coffeenuts]

[birdblues]

Speckled Mousebird

[faunalregion]

[hello-birdies]

Urocolius macrourus by anton.cnudde

[thalassarche]

Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) - photo by Arnaud Delberghe