What to Know About the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda?

The Speckled Mousebird in Uganda is one of the African birds in Uganda seen during Uganda birding safaris & Tours. The speckled mousebird is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common. Speckled Mousebird’s name comes from the similar appearance of this bird with a mouse, when it moves through vegetation.

How Does the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda Look Like?

The adult male has brownish to ashy brown plumage. On the upper partsmantle and rump show indistinct fine dark bars, visible at close range.

Wings and tail are brownish. The tail is very long, about 18 to 24 cm. On the underparts, plumage is buffer than above.

Throat is dark grey. Neck and breast show the same fine barring as in mantle. Belly is buff. Underwing is brownish, with greyish tips in flight feathers.

On the head, forehead is dark brown to blackish, as lores and throat. Ear-coverts and crest are pale brownish.

Strong, decurved bill is two tones. Upper mandible is black and lower mandible is whitish. Eyes are dark brown, with blackish eye-ring of bare skin. Legs and feet are dark pinkish-red.

Both sexes are similar. Juvenile has shorter crest and lower mandible darker than in adults. It has a whitish stripe in center of lower back, and wing coverts are edged buff.

It reaches its sexual maturity at one year. We can find 17 subspecies which differ in tones of plumage and contrasts of colors. Color of the eyes can be from dark brown to whitish, through pale blue.

How Does the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda Sing And Make Calls?

Speckled Mousebird is a noisy species. It utters distinct alarm calls, according to the kind of danger. It gives a loud “shriek” for terrestrial predators, and mostly an explosive “pit” for aerial predators.

These calls are uttered in rapid series, with crest alternately raised or flattened. Contact calls “chew-chew” are uttered when the birds form a group, perched in treetops or flying together from tree to tree.

We can also hear some warbling and other alarm calls “tisk-tisk” uttered in flight.

How Does the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda Feed?

Speckled Mousebird feeds mainly on ripe and unripe fruits, plant matters such as leaves, buds, blossoms, flowers and nectar, and some insects like ants and termites. They also consume clay-earth.

How Does the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda Nest?

The nest is situated in tree or bush, at 2 to 3metres above the ground. Nest is a loose, fairly large open bowl, made with several materials such as twigs, stems, leaves, plant down, lichens, spider webs and other matters like wool, cloth, paper and string.

Interior is lined with softer materials, and exterior is often decorated with green plants and flowers.

How Does the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda Breed?

During breeding season, Speckled Mousebird utters various courtship calls, associated to mutual preening and courtship feeding.

Some displays show the birds perched in erect posture on a branch or on the ground, and moving up and down during several minutes, and even performing some hopping of some centimeters in the air.

Male and female perform these displays before copulation.

How Does the Speckled Mousebird in Uganda Reproduce?

Female lays 2 to 3 eggs. Sometimes, several females can lay in the same nest. Incubation lasts about 10 to 11 days, shared by both parents.

Chicks leave the nest about ten days after hatching, and they are able to fly at 17 to 18 days of age. Young are fed by both parents and helpers for one month after fledging.