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Blue-naped mousebird

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Blue-naped mousebird
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coliiformes
Family: Coliidae
Genus: Urocolius
Species:
U. macrourus
Binomial name
Urocolius macrourus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms

Lanius macrourus Linnaeus, 1766

Taxonomy

The blue-naped mousebird (scientifically known as Urocolius macrourus), also formerly called the blue-naped coly (Colius macrourus) is a species of bird belonging to the family Coliidae within the order Coliiformes. The species is found in the wild in the drier regions of West Africa to East Africa, as well as Sahel. 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.[2]

Description

The blue-naped mousebird is a fairly small to medium-sized bird, measuring 13-14 inches in length. Adults have an ash brown, grayish body, crested head with a turquoise nape, and a black-and-red bill, whereas juveniles lack the blue on nape, and have pink facial skin and greenish bills.[3]

Characteristic of mousebirds, the blue-naped mousebird has widely spaced and large feet for its body size, which are pamprodactylous; they are able to rotate all four toes to face forward at will. Their toes are strong and dextrous, allowing the birds to climb and scurry along branches, to hang by a toenail, or to use one foot to hold food.[2]

Distribution and habitat

de Juana, E. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.blnmou1.01
Distribution Map of Blue-naped Mousebird

In the wild, these birds live in the semi-desert and dry regions of Africa. In East Africa are found in a band between 10°N and 20°N from the western coast to Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia in the East and south 10°N through East Africa and on to the Eastern Zaire borders.[4] This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern.[5]

Behaviour

Vocalizations:

Solitary birds perched atop trees emit a distinct and resonant "tieee" whistle every 3–5 seconds. While foraging, it produces a shorter and less robust version of the same call, spaced at longer intervals of 10–15 seconds. In groups, a pre-flight ritual includes a collective "trie-trie" before departing the feeding area, or a rhythmic "tsie-tsie..." every 0.5 seconds just prior to takeoff. In flight, the sound transforms into variations like "trui-tru-tri," "triu-triu," or "tri-truu-truu...". A begging female vocalizes a unique sequence, described as "cruir-uu-tuit-truit," during courtship while the male utters a series of "tiuee-tuiee..." notes at a rate of six every approximately 10 seconds. Perched birds contribute to the auditory landscape with occasional weak trills and individual notes.[6]

Movement:

The birds are mostly sedentary, with occasional local nomadic behavior. Particularly in Senegal, Mali, Kenya, and Tanzania, routine dry-season movements occur, where they transition from savanna woodland to river valleys and populated areas. Infrequent sightings of the species in Benin [7], Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau are likely the outcomes of these movements.

Diet:

Primarily, these birds rely on fruits as their main food source, and they also eat leaves, flowers, and buds[8]. Bird have been seen foraging for food together, one of the few common arboreal bird species to do so[9] In some regions like Niger and Chad, the berries of the Salvadora persica plant are especially crucial. Other plants they utilize include Balaenites aegyptiaca, Capparis decidua, Boscia senegalensis, Grewia villosa, Tamarindus, and Ficus. Additionally, they consume dates and various cultivated fruits, with a preference for those from the Azadirachta indica tree, commonly found in towns [6].

These birds are often seen in groups of up to ten individuals, but sometimes as many as 50 may gather around a single fruiting tree. They move in flocks, traveling from one known fruiting tree to another, stopping to forage every 20–200 meters (usually around 85 meters). They follow the same route at the same time each day [6].

Breeding:

Breeding occurs throughout the year, with peak mostly varying in region, typically while or just after the rainy seasons: May-Jun in Nigeria, May-Jun and Dec-Feb in Northern Sudan, Apr-Jul in Ethiopia, May in Kenya, and Mar-Jun in Zaire[10]. Displaying monogamous tendencies, observed in captivity where pair-bonds endure for extended periods, and likely territorial in nature, but perhaps a co-operative breeder[6]. The nest is a shallow and disorderly cup made of twigs, sparsely lined with grass and rootlets[6][10]. Material is brought by the male and assembled by the female. It is typically positioned in a tree or thorny bush, approximately 3–4.5 meters above the ground. The usual clutch consists of 2–3 eggs (though occasionally 1–4), with whitish shells adorned with rufous or brown markings, measuring around 20.3 mm × 14.5 mm[6][10]. Incubation begins with the first egg and is a joint effort by both sexes, with the female taking over during the night and the male during the day[6][10].

Life stages:

The incubation stage observed in captivity spans 11 days [6]. The chick once hatched, weighs around 2.3 grams[11], and exhibits distinctive bulbous swellings at the base and on both sides of the lower mandible, which persist for approximately one month and then disappear[6]. Young individuals may venture out of the nest at 10–12 days when they have attained 55% of adult mass [11]. Their inaugural flight occurs at 16–17 days, yet they return to the nest until reaching 21 days of age[6]. Dependent on adults for sustenance for about six more weeks [6], they only attain adult body mass around 15 weeks of age [11]. Longevity in capativity has been up to 11 year and five months.

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Urocolius macrourus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22683792A93001520. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683792A93001520.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mystery bird: Blue-naped mousebird, Urocolius macrourus". The Guardian. London. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  3. ^ "Blue-naped mousebird". Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  4. ^ "Kenya Birds: Blue-naped mousebird". Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  5. ^ "The IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species: Blue-naped mousebird". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Archived from the original on 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fry, C Hilary; Keith, Stuart; Urban, Emil K (1988). The birds of Africa. Vol. 3 / ed. by C. Hilary Fry ... Colour plates by Martin Woodcock. Line drawings by Ian Willis. Acoustic references by Claude Chappuis (2. print ed.). London: Academic Press. ISBN 9780121373030.
  7. ^ Dowsett, R.J.; F., Dowsett-Lemaire (2011). The avifauna of Benin: additions and corrections. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 18(2). p. 148-167.
  8. ^ Schaub, R; Prinzinger, R; Schleucher, E (1999). "Energy metabolism and body temperature in the Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) during torpor". Ornis Fennica. 76: 211–219.
  9. ^ Zwarts, Leo; Bijlsma, Rob G.; Kamp, Jan van der; Sikkema, Marten (5 July 2023). "Distribution and Numbers of Arboreal Birds between the Hyper-Arid Sahara and the Hyper-Humid Guinea Forests,". Ardea. 111(1): 67-102.
  10. ^ a b c d de Juana, Eduardo; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.blnmou1.01species_shared.bow.project_name.
  11. ^ a b c Finke, C.; Misovic, A.; Prinzinger, R. (March 1995). "GROWTH, THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENDOTHERMY, AND TORPIDITY IN BLUE-NAPED MOUSEBIRDS UROCOLIUS MACROURUS". Ostrich. 66 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1080/00306525.1995.9632704.


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