This post is about Mousebirds, an ancient group of small arboreal birds which could be considered “living fossils” being survivors of a lineage that was massively more diverse in the late Paleogene and Miocene ages. These birds are unrelated to anything else alive today. They are morphologically unique and were proposed as a separate Order of birds as long ago as 1872.

“There is a popular misconception that natural selection is synonymous with evolution. If a species isn’t adapting by obvious changes over time then it isn’t evolving. Are external morphological changes the only evidence of evolution? Physical fossil analysis suggests so but there is plenty of evidence that this is not true, DNA analysis for starters!”

Mousebirds are classified in the order Coliiformes because these birds look like mice when they creep along tree branches. In this order there is only one family, Colliidae. This family comprises two genera. The skeletons of the two genera are different, and Urocolius Mousebirds are stronger fliers, while Colius Mousebirds spend most of their time ‘creeping’ through the vegetation, like small rodents, giving rise to their family name.

Genus Colius
• Speckled Mousebird, Colius striatus
• White-headed Mousebird, Colius leucocephalus
• Red-backed Mousebird, Colius castanotus
• White-backed Mousebird, Colius colius
Genus Urocolius– from Eastern and Southern Africa
• Blue-naped Mousebird, Urocolius macrourus
• Red-faced Mousebird, Urocolius indicus

Mousebirds is the only Order which is restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. They are very adaptable, and can be found in forest edges, thickets, gardens, orchards, strandveld, riverine woodland and alien tree plantations, usually foraging in the mid to upper canopy of trees. They feed on a wide variety of plant matter – often fruit, but also flowers, nectar, leaves, buds and dead bark. These birds have adapted to man-made habitats, and are even considered a ‘pest’ in some places because they eat so much fruit.

Three species of Mousebird found in southern Africa. The White-backed Mousebird is found in South Africa and Namibia, the Speckled Mousebird is found in South Africa and Mozambique and the Red-faced Mousebird is found throughout southern Africa.

Speckled Mousebird- Colius striatus

The four species of Colius Mousebirds are essentially allopatric (a scientific name for geographic isolation) in distribution, without any significant overlap. Where there is a little range overlap, they separate out by habitat.

Like Swifts, Mousebirds are pamprodactylous meaning their two outer toes are reversible, so all four toes can be directed forward at will. Being able to rotate all four toes to face forward enables them to feed upside down, hold food with their feet, and perch with their legs positioned at strange angles. Their feet are large, and their legs widely spaced, so Mousebirds do not perch like most other species and tend to rest their abdomens on their perch.

Both sexes have erectile crests on their heads. Their plumage is usually a dull grey or brown and unremarkable. Mousebirds do though have very long tail feathers and unusual mannerisms. They have a habit of perching with the body vertically suspended between the widely splayed feet, held apart at chest level.

Their beaks look “finch-like” though they are not seed eaters as they do not have a developed crop. They are arboreal and scurry along tree branches like rodents, in search of berries, fruit and buds. Between the lower jaw and the base of the skull is a supplementary joint, much like a snake, which enables Mousebirds to swallow large bits of food. The upper bill acts as a plow, furrowing sections of the fruit, and the lower mandible acts as a scoop. They drink water by sucking it into the mouth, similar to pigeons and doves.

“Nature teems with consciousness—with intelligence—an insight shared by shamans and indigenous people long before modern humans used our “intelligence” to disengage from the rest of the natural world.”

 Red-faced Mousebird-Urocolius indicus

The Colius and Urocolius genus differ substantially in skeletal and other aspects. In the Urocolius genus, the bones of the wing and pectoral girdle are relatively more robust, and those of the legs and pelvic girdle relatively weaker, than those of Colius. This reflects the relative locomotory capacities of the two genera, Urocolius being stronger fliers and Colius more adept at creeping.

Mousebirds are essentially frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds. They spend most of their time in the dense foliage of trees and shrubs, through which they move rapidly and with surprising agility, continually demonstrating their acrobatic prowess. They scurry rapidly lengthwise along horizontal branch surfaces, supporting themselves with the tarsi, tail and beak. I would normally not show a bird with placed food but wanted to show their surprising agility.

Contour feathers cover the Mousebird’s body almost uniformly, and have loose distal barbs owing to an incomplete development of barbules, This feather feature is thought to be an adaptation allowing them to move easily through dense scrub. This is also what gives them their hair-like appearance of their body feathers.

I hope this short discussion around Mousebirds has shown you an intriguing view of the lineage, depth and adaption in just this one piece of nature’s jigsaw puzzle which you would not normally give a second thought. This is yet another example of the idea that there are libraries of knowledge yet to be learned from nature with her wonderful tapestry woven together in ways we have yet to fathom.

” It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the intellect fruitful, and gives birth to imagination”

– Henry David Thoreau

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun

Mike

Armistice Day marks the date and time, November 11th at 11am in 1918, when armies stopped fighting World War I. The war started on 28 July 1914, a 100 years ago. There were over 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history.

This is poignant reminder for Africa. The daily civil war against poachers continues but at least the major conflicts in southern Africa have stopped and with them the wholesale destruction of our wildlife heritage. Just look at the herculean effort the dedicated people of Gorongoza in Mozambique are doing to bring that beautiful park back from the brink.

“That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. That lands yields a cultural harvest is a fact long known, but latterly often forgotten.”
― Aldo Leopold

In recognition and respect, I thought I would do a post on Doves, as a globally recognised symbol of peace.

In fact, the post includes Doves and Pigeons.   As I did in last week’s post, I will also add the Doves and Pigeons to my Birds category.

Pigeons and Doves constitute the bird family Columbidae, which now includes about 334 species (IOC World Bird List 4.4). In most cases, both Pigeons and Doves have thick, round bodies, short necks and short and slim beaks. They also have small, rounded heads and small, scaly legs. Their wings are short and wide. They tend to feed on fruits and seeds, with seeds being their main diet.

Apart from their distinctive colouration, Dove and Pigeon species each have their own unique style or sound of cooing or crooning. I have linked some of my images to URLs to the Africam  and Xeno Canto Foundation web sites to enable you to hear their calls. The Doves in southern Africa have a range of calls some of which are so peaceful, while others sound like they are laughing and some sound utterly mournful. They are all very evocative and when you hear them you know you are in Africa.

Doves and Pigeons are unlike most other birds. Both the male and the female of Columbidae species produce milk for their young. Their milk is called crop milk. It contains a higher level of protein and fat than the milk produced by mammals.

We have 14 Doves and Pigeon species in southern Africa, excluding the seldom seen vagrant European Turtle Dove.

Doves

Cape Turtle Dove or Ring-necked Dove is very common and found throughout southern Africa. It is a soft pinkish grey colour with a black ring which extends around the back half of its neck. It has a black eye. It has a distinctive call which sounds like ” work harder, work harder” or as some say “drink lager, drink lager”. The latter makes more sense!!

I have embedded a link to Africam website in the next image so you can hear this Dove’s call. Just click on the image to listen to its call and when finished press the back (or left pointing) arrow key on your web browser to continue.

Cape Turtle Doves tend to flock together for protection when they come down to drink, especially in the drier areas. Lanner Falcons prey heavily on these Turtle Doves as they flock around the waterholes in the Kalagadigadi.

The Laughing Dove is exquisitely adorned with soft pinks light-browns and soft-greys. It has a soft salmon-pink head and a cinnamon coloured bib with black spots on the bib. Its beak is relative short but thin. This helps it gather seeds but its cannot dehusk them so must swallow them whole. Seeds are essentially dry so these seed-eaters must drink water regularly. Laughing Doves tend to congregate in flocks when they come down to the water’s edge to drink, especially in the dry areas.

The next image of a Laughing Dove has its call embedded in the image. Just click on the image and the call will be played. Once completed just press the back arrow in the web browser. 

This is a small, very wary Dove. It will not allow you to get close. Its eyes are set back on the side of its head so it has monocular vision is thought to be twice as good as its binocular vision, which is why a Dove or Pigeon will usually stand side on to you. They are extremely quick fliers.

The Namaqua Dove is also known as the masked or Cape Dove. This is a small but striking bird, with a black face and throat and a red and yellow beak. The female Namaqua Dove lacks the bright beak and the black ‘mask’ of the male, but both sexes have a long, mostly black tail. The rest of the Namaqua Dove’s plumage consists of blue-grey on the head merging into pale brown on the back. It has a white belly, chestnut primary feathers (which are visible in flight). Juvenile Namaqua doves are a fawn colour with many black speckles.

Namaqua Doves are normally found in the drier reaches of southern Africa. I have seen them in Mashatu in Botswana, Kalagadigadi Transfrontier National Park and Etosha in Namibia. It is only when these little Doves fly do you get to see their full colours.

The next image is of four male Namaqua Doves drinking water from one of the boreholes in the Kalagadigadi Transfrontier park in very bright conditions. Click on the next image to hear the Namaqua Dove’s call. Once finished press the back arrow key on you web browser to return to the blog.

The Red-eyed Dove looks like a Cape Turtle Dove. It is largest of the three ring-necked Doves. It has the same colouring and a black ring around the back of its neck as a Cape Turtle Dove. Its main difference to the Cape Turtle Dove is its grey head and red eye, and bare skin around the eye. This Dove is found mainly in woodland and riverine forest areas. Click on the image to hear its call.

The Turtur genus in the Columbia family comprises, the Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Blue Spotted Wood-Dove and Tambourine Dove. The Emerald-Spotted Wood-Dove is a small greyish-brown with a grey head and brownish body and wings. Its wings also have to rows of two vivid emerald green feathers which create the spots. This is a seed-eater inhabiting savanna and woodlands. It has a very mournful call.

These little Wood-Doves are common in the north and eastern parts of South Africa, Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and northern Botswana and Namibia. Click on the next image to hear its call.

When a Dove dips its beak deep into the water, its nostrils close and it drinks by sucking up the water and swallowing. It does not have to tilt its head back to swallow.

I have seen Mourning Doves and Blue-spotted Wood-Doves but never taken a reasonable images of either. I have also still to see a Cinnamon Dove. More time needed in Kwa-Zulu Natal!!

“There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before.”
― Robert Lynd,

Pigeons 

There are five species of Pigeon recorded locally, the Speckled ( formerly Rock), African Green, African Olive ( formerly Rameron), Rock ( formerly Feral) and Bronze-naped ( formerly Delegorgue’s).

Pigeons differ from Doves in that they are larger, their tails are rounder and they eat mostly fruits and not seeds and are therefore seen mostly in trees. The Speckled Pigeon is an exception because it lives in rocky cliffs, buildings and bridges and therefore has to commute daily to find food usually grains or seeds.

All Pigeons are monogamous and territorial when nesting. Their nest is usually a simple rough saucer shaped construction of twigs and grass. Pigeons have short, pointed wings which allow high wing-loadings during  take-off and have fast direct flight, often with noisy wing beats followed by gliding.

African Green Pigeons can be found on the north and east areas of South Africa, the eastern part of Botswana, throughout Zimbabwe and along the northern part of Botswana and Namibia. These Pigeons primarily eat fruit. Anyone who has been to Skukuza in the Kruger park in South Africa when the fig trees are bearing fruit will see and hear the distinctive Green Pigeons in the fig trees down near the river. These birds are able to hang upside down to get at the fruit, unlike most other Doves and Pigeons. They are also exotically coloured with different shades of green on their bodies and wings, which provide good camouflage. Their feet and base of the beak is a bright red, and they have yellow leggings.

Click on the image below to listen to its call. Once finished press the left arrow key in the we browser to continue.

The next image is of a pair of Green Pigeons in Mashatu with the male displaying to the female. During courtship the male flies up high with a burst of rapid, noisy wing beats followed by gliding with a fanned tail. The image shows the typical bowing display by the male, much like that of a Dove.

The African Olive Pigeon, previously called the Rameron pigeon, is found mainly in South Africa, with a small population on the border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It lives mainly in indigenous forests, as well as suburban gardens and parks, where it can be found in fruit trees or bushes, its main source of food. 

The female constructs the nest, while the male gathers the building materials, which are usually small twigs. The female lays 1-2 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes. The chicks are fed by both parents, and leave the nest after 19-20 days. This Pigeon also feeds almost exclusively on fruit, rarely feeding on fallen seeds on the ground.

I have yet to see a Bronze-naped Pigeon perhaps I need to spend more time along the Kwa-Zulu Natal north coast. We have Rock Pigeons in the garden but I have never taken an image of one.

I hope you found this post interesting. I am aiming at popular rather than rigorous science as a way of unpicking the fascinating tapestry of our wildlife. 

“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed; if we permit the last virgin forests to be turned into comic books and plastic cigarette cases; if we drive the few remaining members of the wild species into zoos or to extinction; if we pollute the last clear air and dirty the last clean streams and push our paved roads through the last of the silence . . .”
― Wallace Stegner

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun,

Mike

In between trips I intend expanding my wildlife categories. This week’s post is about Weavers. I have also added Weavers to my birds category.

“The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”.

 – Marcel Proust

Weaver birds are passerines (perching birds and songsters) belonging to the Ploceidae family, a name they get from the elaborate nests that are woven by many species. The family group Ploceidae which includes Buffalo Weavers, Sparrow-Weavers, Sociable Weavers, true (Ploceus) Weavers, Malimbes, Queleas, Fodies, Bishops and Widowbirds.  The International Ornithological Congress (IOC) world bird list recognizes 64 species of Weaver and 99 sub-species in the genus Ploceus.  Of those sub-species, all occur in Africa with the exception of 6 Asian and 2 Madagascar Weavers. I will not show you all the Weavers because I have not seen all of them – yet. I want to show you the ones I have seen and explain a little about each of them. I too am weaving  a new thread into my ornithological tapestry.

I am trying to give a family view without getting too scientific. There are many references you can “Google” if you want more scientific detail. I am much more interested in the natural uniqueness of Weavers, their romantic visual side and their interconnectedness with, and adaption to, their environs.

In southern Africa, we can find  15 species of these truly magical,  small sparrow-size birds. Weavers combine bright plumages with ingenious weaving talents and cheerful, noisy social disposition. Weavers are seed eaters with conical bills, although some of the bigger species which have more slender bills eat insects. The strong, conical bill is used to cut blades of grass which the Weaver will use in nest-building. Most Weavers live in the tropics and are unique for their nest-building abilities creating durable nests by ingeniously weaving and knotting grass, strips of reed or palm fonds, long leaves, twigs and roots.  Male Weaver plumages can be yellow, red, brown and black. Almost all Weavers are sexually colour dimorphic meaning the male and females are quite different. In the case of Weavers, the difference lies mainly in their plumage and nest-building behaviour. The  females are often dull brown in colour and are the nest quality assurance inspectors.

While all the Weavers of the genus Ploceus are generally similar, there are differences between the species based on appearance, nest design, location and social behaviour.

There are three yellow Weavers with black masks, the Southern Masked Weaver, the Lesser Masked Weaver and the Village Weaver. They all nest in colonies and all have a similar kidney-shaped nest with a  small round entrance in its front underside. The Southern Masked Weaver male is a brightly coloured yellow in breeding season with a black mask which extends from its throat to cheeks and forehead. It also has a red eye. You will find this industrious little chap all over southern Africa.  The Lesser Masked Weaver is slightly smaller, it is similarly yellow coloured in the breeding season and its black mask extends from its throat around its cheeks beyond its forehead to the top of its head and it has a yellow eye. The Lesser masked Weaver is found in northern Namibia, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe and the northern part of South Africa. The Village weaver is slightly bigger than the other two. It is also a brightly yellow coloured Weaver with a black mask which extends from its chest up to its throat around its cheeks to its forehead. It has a red eye. The Village Weaver has a spotted  back, hence its alternate name the Spotted-back Weaver. This distribution of this Weaver overlaps the other two mainly in Zimbabwe, along the northern areas of Botswana and South Africa and the southern part of Mozambique.

“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth
are never alone or weary of life”.
~ Rachel Carson 

The Weaver males are responsible for building the nests, which are never used more than once. Each male builds a series of nests – typically more than 20 each season. The nests are usually woven with long grass or strips of palms fonds what ever they can tear off which will give them a long thread with which to weave. Not only are these more flexible than dry leaves but as they dry they contract and tighten the knots the birds use to fasten them.

These Weaver males must be some of the hardest working males in the bird world. The male usually makes his nest at the end of a small branch, preferably hanging over water, making it as inaccessible as possible for raiders such as snakes, Baboons and Harrier-hawks, Little Sparrowhawks and Gabar Goshawks.

Weavers use only their beaks to weave their threads. Each nest is very similar though not exactly the same. It is a complex structure which hangs from trees usually as a single unit. The whole selection and building process suggests above average intelligence.

Studies of the Southern Masked Weaver bird revealed marked variations in their approach to nest-building suggesting that they may learn from experience. The nest is usually woven into a kidney- shaped structure with a large entrance on the underside to prevent water ingress when it rains and making it more difficult for raiders to access.

– William Blake

Male Weaver birds construct their elaborate nests during mating season, using them to attract prospective mates. After completion of the nests, the male will defend his small territory around his nests, displaying to the females, attracting their attention to his nests. It has long been assumed that the nest-building skills of birds are instinctive, but new research has revealed that building a nest could very well be a learned skill.

Once the male has almost completed his nest,  a prospective mate will inspect it. If she does not like the nest’s construction, she will turn down the suitor. The male will then tear down his work and start over. Research shows some males have been observed constructing and tearing down their nests two dozen times before finding a prospective mate who is satisfied with his work. If his nest is accepted by the female, he will add a short entrance tunnel, while the female lines the interior with soft grass heads and feathers. The female usually lays between 2-5 eggs, which are incubated for about 12 days only by the female. The male assists in feeding the chicks. They young fledge the nest when they are about 17 to 21 days old.

The second Weaver I want to discuss is the Southern Brown-throated Weaver. This stunning brightly coloured Weaver is pure yellow. Only the male has a brown throat and both male and female have a black eye. This is the only Weaver I have seen on the Chobe river near Kasane. They can also be found along the coastal regions of southern Mozambique and northern Kwa-Zulu Natal.

This sub-species of Weaver also weaves a kidney-shaped nest very similar to the Masked Weavers but normally it is a solitary nest built on a reed or a suitable site along a river.

Another true Weaver is the Chestnut Weaver. This sub-species is found in northern Namibia and north-west Botswana. The next image of two Chestnut Weavers was taken up in the Serengeti. The Chestnut Weaver also has a black mask. In Namibia the mask covers the entire head, in the Serengeti is just a throat, cheek and forehead mask. As the name suggests the male is a Chestnut brown colour and has a black bill. The female is buff coloured with a grey bill. These are highly social Weavers  which tend to flock together.

Another true weaver is the Cape Weaver. This is also a yellow Weaver, though slightly bigger than the aforementioned Weavers. This Weaver has an orange tinge to its head, chest and belly. The mature male has a black eye line from its beak to its eye. It is similar to the Spectacled Weaver but the latter has an eye line which extends from the beak to behind the eye and it has a black throat. The female is buff coloured with a yellowish back and beige coloured beak.

The Cape Weaver is only found in South Africa. The next image is of a Cape Weaver foraging in the lichen covered rocks at Giant’s Castle. This Weaver also builds its nest in colonies. The nest is the typical kidney-shape with a small entrance in the front underside.

The other true Weavers are the Forest Weaver, Olive-headed Weaver, African Golden Weaver, Golden Weaver. Lesser Masked and Spotted-backed Weaver. I will describe these sub-species once I have images of them.

“Living wild species are like a library of books still unread. Our heedless destruction of them is akin to burning the library without ever having read its books”.

 – John Dingell

In this next section, I describe other Weavers in the Ploceidae family, which are not “true Weavers”.

Thick-billed Weaver can be seen along the eastern coast of Southern Africa and in northern Botswana and as far north as Serengeti. The next image is of a pair of Thick-billed Weavers building a nest next to Lake Manyara in Tanzania. The male  is a dark brown with a white forehead patch (breeding season only) and a thick bill. The nest is neatly woven construction supported between two reeds. The next image shows a female in their roosting nest. Their breeding nest  has an entrance which is reduced to a small narrow tunnel in the front.

 You will usually find a Thick-billed Weaver in reeds and thickets along rivers, pans or marshes.

 Another common Weaver in Southern Africa is the Red-billed Buffalo weaver. This is a distinctive black bird with a red beak.These Weavers make untidy nest of grass and twigs.

The Red-billed Buffalo Weaver gets its buffalo name from its colour. You generally find these Weavers in colonies, sometimes big ones, in thornveld regions.

Further north you will find the White -headed Buffalo Weaver. This Weaver has a white, head, neck, chest and belly. Its wings and back are brown and it has an orange rump.  The nest is a large untidy grass and twig construction. This Weaver also lives in colonies in trees on the open savanna. The next image was taken in the Serengeti.

 White-headed Buffalo-Weaver in the Serengeti

The last Weaver in this collection is a White-browed Sparrow-Weaver. I have only seen the White-browed Sparrow-Weavers in Mashatu in south-eastern corner of Botswana. These Sparrow-Weavers are found throughout north, central and west regions of southern Africa. There is no sexual colour dimorphism in Sparrow-Weavers. They live in colonies and make an untidy nest of grass and twigs normally in a thorn tree. The next image is of a Southern White-browed Sparrow-Weaver all puffed up against the cold.

 Southern White-browed Sparrow-Weaver is ideally perched on a dead tree stump in Mashatu Game Reserve.

I hope this brief post has triggered more interest in Weavers. There are many more Weavers for me still to photograph. I intend making a special effort on my trips into the bush to expand my collection of images of Weaver species.

“A human being is part of the whole, called by us “Universe,”
a part limited in time and space.

He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something

separated from the rest– a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. 

This delusion is a kind of prison for us,

restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison

by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures
and the whole of nature in its beauty”.
~ Albert Einstein

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun

Mike