Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Red-faced Mousebird

Urocolius indicus (Latham, 1790)

53 gWeight

The red-faced mousebird (Urocolius indicus) is a species of mousebird or coly.

Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Red-faced Mousebird has been recorded at 211 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 10 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Mkhuze GRSouth Africa552 records
  2. Zaagkuildrift RdSouth Africa471 records
  3. Rietvlei NRSouth Africa365 records
More places
  1. Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa282 records
  2. Pilanesberg NPSouth Africa246 records
  3. Walter Sisulu National Botanical GardenSouth Africa240 records
  4. Manyoni GR – Zebra Hills LodgeSouth Africa236 records
  5. Phinda GR – AirfieldSouth Africa232 records
  6. Delta ParkSouth Africa218 records
  7. Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa216 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaBotswanaNamibiaZambiaZimbabweMozambiqueEswatiniMalawi

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 red-faced mousebird (Urocolius indicus) is a species of mousebird or coly. It is a common in southern Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), Zambia and Tanzania south to the Cape. Its habitat is savanna with thickets, fynbos scrub, other open woodland, gardens and orchards.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Red-faced Mousebird?

The Red-faced Mousebird weighs around 53 g.

Where does the Red-faced Mousebird live?

Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

When is the best time to see the Red-faced Mousebird?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Red-faced Mousebird endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Red-faced Mousebird as Least Concern.

What does the Red-faced Mousebird eat?

Main food: Fruit.

What family is the Red-faced Mousebird in?

It belongs to the family Mousebirds (Coliidae), order Coliiformes.

At a glance

Weight
53 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Fruit
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
95 mm
Tail
210 mm
Bill
14 mm
Tarsus
21 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: southern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Mousebirds Coliidae
Genus
Urocolius

Other birds in the genus Urocolius

Blue-naped MousebirdBlue-naped MousebirdUrocolius macrourusSpeckled MousebirdSpeckled MousebirdColius striatusWhite-headed MousebirdWhite-headed MousebirdColius leucocephalusRed-backed MousebirdRed-backed MousebirdColius castanotusWhite-backed MousebirdWhite-backed MousebirdColius colius
Red-faced Mousebird

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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