Photo: Francesco Veronesi from Italy / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Blue-naped Mousebird
Urocolius macrourus
Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) — Unusual & Unique Birds of Africa.
Found across 2 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) is a member of the Coliidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 45.5 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Coliiformes
- Family Coliidae Mousebirds
- Genus Urocolius
- Species macrourus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 45.5 g
- Diet
- Fruit-eaters
- Family
- Coliidae
- Order
- Coliiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Blue-naped Mousebird is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Blue-naped Mousebird is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) is a member of the Coliidae family, within the order Coliiformes. It occurs naturally across Africa. Its distribution covers AF e, c, w.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 45.5 g, with a wing length of about 9 cm and a tail of around 22.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 5.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Blue-naped Mousebird?
The Blue-naped Mousebird is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 45.5 g.
Where does the Blue-naped Mousebird live?
The Blue-naped Mousebird is found across Africa with a range covering AF e, c, w, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Blue-naped Mousebird belong to?
The Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) belongs to the Coliidae family, in the order Coliiformes.
What does the Blue-naped Mousebird eat?
The Blue-naped Mousebird is a frugivore — it feeds mainly on fruit.
Does the Blue-naped Mousebird migrate?
The Blue-naped Mousebird is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Blue-naped Mousebird endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Blue-naped Mousebird make?
1 real field recording of the Blue-naped Mousebird can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Blue-naped Mousebird's range?
The Blue-naped Mousebird has a mapped global range of about 5.8 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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