Coliiformes

Article By:

Bock, Walter J. Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York.

Last reviewed:December 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.148300

A small order of birds containing only the family Coliidae with six species (the mousebirds) restricted to Africa. Mousebirds, or colies, are small, grayish to brownish, with a crest on the head and long tail (see illustration). The legs are short and the feet strong, with the four toes movable into many positions, from all four pointing forward to two reversed backward. Mousebirds perch, climb, crawl and scramble agilely in bushes and trees. They are largely vegetarian but eat some insects. They are nonmigratory and gregarious, living in flocks and sleeping in clusters, but they are monogamous in loose colonies as breeders. The nest is an open cup in a tree or bush and the two to four young remain in the nest, cared for by both adults until they can fly. The relationships of the mousebirds to other birds are obscure. Mousebirds have a surprisingly good fossil record from the Miocene of France and Germany, suggesting a wider distribution of this group. See also: Aves

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