The “mouse birds” with feathers resembling the hairs of mammals, here is the scientific name of this species

The Coliiformes are the sister group to the  clade  Eucavitaves  , which includes  Leptosomiformes  (  cuckoo’s roller  ),  Trogoniformes  (  trogons  ),  Bucerotiformes  (  hornbills  and  hoopoes  ),  Piciformes  (  woodpeckers  ,  toucans  and  barbets  ), and  Coraciformes  (  kingfishers  ,  bee-eaters  ,  rollers  , motmots  and  todies  ). ^[2]  This group is now confined to sub-Saharan Africa  ,  and is the only bird order confined entirely to that continent, with the possible exception of the  turacos  which are considered by some to be the distinct order  Musophagiformes  , and the  roller del cuckoo  , which is the only member of the order Leptosomiformes and which is found in  Madagascar  but not in mainland Africa. Mousebirds had a wider range in the  Paleogene  , with widespread distribution in  Europe  and  North America  during the  Paleocene  . ^{[3]  [4]}

Species description of mouse birds:

“Mousebirds” are thin grayish or brown birds with soft, hair-like body feathers . They are typically about 10 cm (3.9 in) long, with a long, thin tail an additional 20–24 cm (7.9–9.4 in) in length, and weigh 45–55 g (1.6–1. 9 oz). ^[5]  They are arboreal and roam among the leaves like  rodents  , looking for berries, fruits and buds. This habit, and their legs, give rise to the   group’s English name. They are acrobatic and can feed upside down. All species have strong claws and reversible outer toes (  pamprodactyl feet  ). They also have  crests  and stumpy bills.

Behavior and Ecology of Mouse Birds:

Mousebirds are gregarious, again reinforcing the  rat analogy  , and are found in bands of about 20 in lightly wooded country. These birds build cup-shaped twig nests in trees, which are lined with grasses. Clutches of two to three eggs are typically laid. ^[6]

Systematics and evolution of mousebirds:

Mousebirds could be considered ”  living fossils  ” since the six species extant today are simply the survivors of a lineage that was vastly more diverse in the early  Paleogene  and  Miocene  . There are relatively abundant fossils of Coliiformes, but it has not been easy to assemble a robust  phylogeny  . The family is documented from the  lower Paleocene  onwards; Since at least the Late  Eocene  , two families are known to have existed, the  extant Coliidae and the   longer-beaked  prehistoric Sandcoleidae  . ^[3]

The latter were formerly a separate order,  ^[7]  but were eventually realized to have come to group  ancestral Coraciiformes  , present-day sandcoleids, and forms such as  Neanis  together in a  paraphyletic assemblage  . Although sandcoleids are now assumed to be monophyletic following the removal of these taxa, many forms cannot be conclusively assigned to one family or the other. ^[8]  The genus  Selmes  , for example, is probably a coliid, but only distantly related to modern genera. ^[9]

Extinct coliiforms occupied a wide range of ecologies. Sandcoleids in particular often retain uncrushed seeds on their stomachs, while bearing claws similar to those of modern  birds of prey  . ^[10]

Mousebird Taxonomy:

Order COLIIIFORMA  ^{[11]  [12]}

• Genus †  Botauroides  Shufeldt 1915  (Eocene of Wyoming, USA)
  • †  B. parvus  Shufeldt 1915
• Genre †  Eobucco  Feduccia & Martin 1976  – sandcoleide?
  • †  E. brodkorbi  Feduccia & Martin 1976
• Genus †  Eocolius  Dyke & Waterhouse 2001  (London Clay Early Eocene of Walton-on-the-Naze, England) – sandcoleid or coliid
  • †  E. walkeri  Dyke & Waterhouse 2001
• Genus †  Limnatornis  Milne-Edwards 1871  [  Palaeopicus  Lambrecht 1933 ex Brodkorb 1952  ] (Early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France) – coliid? (  Urocholium  ?)
  • †  L. consobrinus  (Milne-Edwards 1871)  [  Picus consobrinus  Milne-Edwards 1871  ; Palaeopicus consobrinus  (Milne-Edwards 1871) Lambrecht 1933 nomen nudum  ; Urocolius consobrinus  (Milne-Edwards 1871)  ]
  • †  L. paludicola  Milne-Edwards 1871  [  Colius paludicola  (Milne-Edwards 1871) Ballmann 1969a  ; Urocolius paludicola  (Milne-Edwards 1871)  ]
  • †  L. archiaci  (Milne-Edwards 1871)  [  Picus archiaci  Milne-Edwards 1871  ; Colius archiaci  (Milne-Edwards 1871) Ballmann 1969a  ; Urocolius archiaci  (Milne-Edwards 1871) Mlíkovský 2002  ] (Early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France)
• Coliforms gen. and sp. int. (Late Miocene of Kohfidisch, Austria)  ^[13]
• Genus †  Uintornis  Marsh 1872  – sandcoleid?
  • †  U.lucaris  Brodkorb 1971
  • †  U. marionae  Feduccia & Martin 1976
• Family †  Chascacocoliidae  Zelenkov & Dyke 2008
  • Genus †  Chascacocolius  Houde & Olson 1992  (Late Paleocene ?- Early Eocene) – basal? sand coleid?
    • †  C. oscitans  Houde & Olson 1992
    • †  C. cacicirostris  May 2005
• Family †  Selmeidae  Zelenkov & Dyke 2008
  • Genus †  Selmes  Mayr 1998 ex Peters 1999  (Middle Eocene ?-Late Oligocene of Europe C) – coliid? (synonym of  Primocolius  ?)
    • †  S. absurdipes  Mayr 1998 ex Peters 1999
• Family †  Sandcoleidae  Houde & Olson 1992 sensu Mayr & Mourer-Chauviré 2004
  • Genus †  Sandcoleus  Houde & Olson 1992  (Paleogene)
    • †  S. copiosus  Houde & Olson 1992
  • Genus †  Anneavis  Houde & Olson 1992
    • †  A. anneae  Houde & Olson 1992
  • Genus †  Eoglaucidium  Fischer 1987
    • †  E. Pallas  Fischer 1987
  • Genus †  Tsidiiyazhi  Ksepka, Stidham & Williamson 2017  (Paleogene of New Mexico)
    • †  T.abini  Ksepka, Stidham & Williamson 2017
• Family  Coliidae  Swainson 1837 sensu Mayr & Mourer-Chauviré 2004
  • Genus †  Celericolius  Ksepka & Clarke 2010
    • †  C.acriala  Ksepka & Clarke 2010
  • Genus †  Masillacolius  Mayr & Peters 1998  (Middle Eocene of Messel, Germany)
    • †  M. brevidactylus  Mayr & Peters 1998
  • Genus †  Oligocolius  Mayr 2000  (Early Oligocene of Frauenweiler, Germany)
    • †  O. brevitarsus  May 2000
    • †  O. psittacocephalon  May 2013
  • Genus †  Palaeospiza  Allen 1878
    • †  Palaeospiza bella  Allen 1878
  • Genus †  Primocolius  Mourer-Chauviré 1988  (Late Eocene/Oligocene of Quercy, France)
    • †  P. sigei  Mourer-Chauviré 1988
    • †  P. minor  Mourer-Chauviré 1988
  • Subfamily Coliinae
    • Genus  Urocolius  (2 species)
      • U. indicus  (Latham 1790)  (Red-faced mousebird)
      • U. macrourus  (Linnaeus 1766)  (Blue-naped mousebird)
    • Genus  Colius  [  Necrornis  Milne-Edwards 1871  ] (4 species)
      • †  C. hendeyi  Vickers-Rich & Haarhoff 1985
      • †  C. palustris  (Milne-Edwards 1871) Ballmann 1969  [  Necrornis palustris  Milne-Edwards 1871  ]  ^{[14]  [15]}
      • C. castanotus  Verreaux & Verreaux 1855  (Red-backed mousebird)
      • C. colius  (Linnaeus 1766)  (White-backed mousebird)
      • C. leucocephalus  Reichenow 1879  (White-headed mousebird)
      • C. striatus  Gmelin 1789  (Spotted mousebird)

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