Bird Album
Piapiac
Ptilostomus afer (Linnaeus, 1766)
35–42 cmLength128 gWeight
The piapiac (Ptilostomus afer) is an African bird in the crow family, and is the only member of the genus Ptilostomus.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Uganda, Gambia, Ghana
Where and when it's recorded
Piapiac has been recorded at 117 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 16 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda546 records
- Murchison Falls NP – PakubaUganda265 records
- Shai Hills Resource ReserveGhana195 records
More places
- Ziwa Rhino SanctuaryUganda156 records
- Kartong WetlandGambia154 records
- Kotu CreekGambia133 records
- Murchison Falls NP – Boat trip Paraa to Murchison FallsUganda130 records
- Abuko NRGambia110 records
- Kotu Creek – Bridge and MouthGambia102 records
- Marakissa RivercampGambia100 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The piapiac (Ptilostomus afer) is an African bird in the crow family, and is the only member of the genus Ptilostomus. It is most closely related to the Central Asian ground jays.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Piapiac?
The Piapiac is about 35–42 cm long and weighs around 128 g.
Where does the Piapiac live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Senegal and Gambia to southern Ethiopia, western Kenya and Uganda. It is most often recorded in Uganda, Gambia and Ghana.
When is the best time to see the Piapiac?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Piapiac endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Piapiac as Least Concern.
What does the Piapiac eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Piapiac in?
It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 35–42 cm
- Weight
- 128 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 165 mm
- Tail
- 258 mm
- Bill
- 37 mm
- Tarsus
- 48 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Senegal and Gambia to southern Ethiopia, western Kenya and Uganda
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Crows, Jays Corvidae
- Genus
- Ptilostomus
More from the family Crows, Jays
Malayan Black MagpiePlatysmurus leucopterus
Bornean Black MagpiePlatysmurus aterrimus
Siberian JayPerisoreus infaustus
Sichuan JayPerisoreus internigrans
Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis
Black-collared JayCyanolyca armillata
White-collared JayCyanolyca viridicyanus
Turquoise JayCyanolyca turcosa
Beautiful JayCyanolyca pulchra
Azure-hooded JayCyanolyca cucullata
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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