Blue-naped Mousebird
Photo © Mourad Harzallah
Photo © Mourad Harzallah — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist photo #590954734The blue-naped mousebird (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. They are the sister group to the clade Eucavitaves, which contains the families Leptosomiformes (the cuckoo roller), Trogoniformes (trogons), Bucerotiformes (hornbills and hoopoes), Piciformes (woodpeckers, toucans, and barbets) and Coraciformes (kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, motmots, and todies). 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. == Taxonomy == There are a total of six recognized subspecies: Urocolius macrourus macrourus (Distribution: Senegambia to east Ethiopia) Urocolius macrourus syntactus (Distribution: Sahel from Mali, southern Niger, and northern Nigeria east to Sudan, Eritrea, and northern Ethiopia) Urocolius macrourus laeneni (Distribution: Aïr Massif, in NC Niger.) Urocolius macrourus pulcher (Distribution: extreme South East South Sudan, Eastern Uganda, Kenya, extreme South Ethiopia, Southern Somalia and Northern Tanzania.) Urocolius macrourus abyssinicus (Distribution: Central and Southern Ethiopia, and Northern Somalia South to about Beledweyne.) Urocolius macrourus griseogularis…
Serengeti National Park
Tanzania
+558 birds+57 mammals
Across Tanzania's northern plateau, where volcanic soils meet acacia woodland and open grassland, unfolds one of Earth's most dynamic ecosystems. The Serengeti National Park sprawls across…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKArusha National Park
Tanzania
+555 birds+16 mammals
Where the slopes of Mount Mawenzi rise above the Arusha region, a compact yet ecologically rich national park unfolds across montane forest, moorland, and alpine zones.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKVirunga National Park
Uganda
+418 birds+13 mammals
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VIEW NATIONAL PARKBwindi Impenetrable National Park
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+603 birds+26 mammals
Steep ridges cloaked in montane forest rise from Uganda's southwestern borderlands, where the landscape grows so dense and tangled that early explorers named it impenetrable. At…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKidepo Valley National Park
Uganda
+478 birds+24 mammals
Where the Narus and Kidepo rivers carve through northeastern Uganda's semi-arid lowlands, a landscape of sparse acacia woodland, grassland, and riverine thickets creates one of East…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMurchison Falls National Park
Uganda
+608 birds+33 mammals
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VIEW NATIONAL PARKMgahinga Gorilla National Park
Cyanika, Uganda
+429 birds+6 mammals
Where the Virunga Mountains rise steeply from the Uganda–Rwanda–Democratic Republic of Congo frontier, montane forest cloaks the volcanic slopes in a dense, moisture-laden embrace. Mgahinga Gorilla…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Mburo National Park
Uganda
+505 birds+24 mammals
Rolling acacia woodland and scattered lakes define this intimate savanna preserve in southwestern Uganda, where the rift valley's geological drama shapes every water source and grassland.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTsavo East National Park
Athi ward, Kenya
+468 birds+50 mammals
Across the semi-arid lowlands of southeastern Kenya, where acacia woodland fragments into scrubland and the landscape rolls toward the Indian Ocean horizon, lies one of Africa's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTsavo West National Park
Mwatate, Kenya
+513 birds+49 mammals
Where volcanic ridges and weathered lava flows meet the semi-arid lowlands of south-central Kenya, Tsavo West National Park unfolds across a landscape sculpted by fire and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAmboseli National Park
Etonet/Lenkism ward, Kenya
+501 birds+43 mammals
Where the Amboseli basin opens toward the Tanzanian frontier, a shallow alkaline lake mirrors vast skies across one of East Africa's most iconic savanna landscapes. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTarangire National Park
Tanzania
+527 birds+50 mammals
Acacia woodland and grassland sweep across the Manyara Region where the Tarangire River carves through low hills and volcanic soils, creating one of East Africa's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNgorongoro Conservation Area
Tanzania
+626 birds+55 mammals
Volcanic calderas and open grassland dominate this high plateau in northern Tanzania, where the landscape rises above 2,000 metres and ancient geological forces have shaped both…
VIEW WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAToro-Semliki Proposed National Park
Uganda
+474 birds+5 mammals
Where the Albertine Rift's western escarpment rises above the Semliki River valley, a vast mosaic of forest, savanna and wetland converges to create one of East…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKQueen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda
+672 birds+30 mammals
Across the southwestern escarpment of Uganda, where the Western Rift Valley descends through ancient volcanic terrain, Queen Elizabeth National Park sprawls across more than 8,300 square…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMabamba Swamp
Memere, Uganda
+464 birds+2 mammals
Across the Central Region of Uganda spreads one of Africa's most biodiverse freshwater wetlands, a sprawling nature reserve of roughly 283 square kilometres where papyrus swamps…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEZiwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch
Nakasongola, Uganda
+359 birds+11 mammals
Where papyrus wetlands merge into sprawling savanna, Uganda's central landscape opens into one of East Africa's most vital rhino recovery zones. Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYAbijata-Shalla Lakes National Park
Ethiopia
+438 birds+7 mammals
Two crater lakes of contrasting chemistry define this remote corner of Ethiopia's Rift Valley, where soda lakes and freshwater basins create a mosaic of distinct aquatic…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMago National Park
Ethiopia
+128 birds+3 mammals
Where the Omo River cuts through southern Ethiopia's arid borderlands, Mago National Park sprawls across a landscape of dramatic escarpments, riverine forests, and semi-arid savanna that…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAwash National Park
Didiga, Ethiopia
+473 birds+23 mammals
Where the Ethiopian Rift Valley carves through volcanic plateaus, a ribbon of riverine forest winds through acacia scrubland and grassland, creating a mosaic of habitats that…
VIEW NATURAL PARKNech Sar National Park
Arba Minch, Ethiopia
+191 birds+10 mammals
Where the East African Rift Valley plateaus drop dramatically toward the shore of Lake Abaya, a mosaic of habitats unfolds across sun-scorched savanna and acacia woodland.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKYabelo Wildlife Sanctuary
Bedewera, Ethiopia
+359 birds+5 mammals
Where acacia woodlands meet volcanic plateaus in southern Ethiopia, a landscape of austere beauty unfolds across nearly 2,500 square kilometers. Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary sprawls across semi-arid…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYNairobi National Park
Nairobi, Kenya
+515 birds+35 mammals
Just minutes from Kenya's capital, where the Nairobi River winds through acacia woodland and open grassland, lies one of Africa's most paradoxical wildlife sanctuaries. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLake Nakuru National Park
Nakuru West, Kenya
+494 birds+32 mammals
Alkaline waters ringed by acacia woodland and grassland create one of East Africa's most distinctive wetland ecosystems, where the interplay of geology and climate sustains a…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKHell’s Gate National Park
Olkaria ward, Kenya
+388 birds+18 mammals
Volcanic scarps and geothermal vents dominate the floor of Hell's Gate, where the East African Rift has carved a dramatic gorge through crystalline rock formations. The…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRuma National Park
Suba, Kenya
+250 birds+8 mammals
Where the Winam Gulf narrows toward the Kenyan mainland, Ruma National Park rises as a sanctuary of evergreen woodland set within the humid tropics of Homa…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKChyulu Hills National Park
Kibwezi East, Kenya
+232 birds+30 mammals
Volcanic cones rise abruptly from the Kenyan savanna floor, their flanks clothed in dense acacia woodland and grassland that transforms the Chyulu Hills into an ecological…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSibiloi National Park
Kenya
+118 birds
Where the northern deserts of Kenya meet the volcanic Chalbi Plain, Sibiloi National Park sprawls across a landscape shaped by millennia of tectonic upheaval and semi-arid…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKArabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve
Kilifi, Kenya
+383 birds+29 mammals
Coastal forest rises from the Indian Ocean plains of Kilifi County, where sandy soils and seasonal rainfall have sculpted a woodland ecosystem unlike anywhere else on…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEWatamu Marine National Park
Dabaso ward, Kenya
+328 birds+12 mammals
Where mangrove channels meet coral gardens and sandy shallows blend into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, Watamu Marine National Park unfolds across the Kilifi…
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