White-headed mousebird

Colius leucocephalus

TAXONOMY

Colius leucocephalus Reichenow, 1879, Kinakomba, lower Tana River, Kenya. Two subspecies.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Coliou à tête blanche; German: Weißkopf-Mausvogel; Spanish: Pájaro-ratón Cabeciblanco.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

11.4–13.0 in (29–33 cm); 1.0–1.5 oz (28–42 g). Grayish upperparts with black-and-white barring on upper back; buff under-parts with light barring on throat and breast. Creamy white crown, crest, and cheeks; blackish gray orbital skin. Bill has pale gray upper mandible with dark tip and paler lower mandible with yellowish tip. Feet are pinkish red to coral-red.

DISTRIBUTION

Southern Somalia through eastern Kenya to northern Tanzania.

HABITAT

Thorny woodland and savanna, but not far away from water supply.

BEHAVIOR

Live in pairs or family groups, more or less sedentary.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Fruits, leaves, and blossoms, especially observed to feed on Salvadora berries.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Mostly limited to breeding in seasons with best food supply, but will breed when enough food is available.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened, but change in distribution possible following change in vegetation; no longer found in some areas where noted in the past.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

They do not interfere with humans.