Blue-naped mousebird

Blue-naped mousebird
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coliiformes
Family: Coliidae
Genus: Urocolius
Species:
U. macrourus
Binomial name
Urocolius macrourus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms

Lanius macrourus Linnaeus, 1766
Colius macrourus

The 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).[2]

The species is found in the wild in the drier regions of West Africa to East Africa, as well as Sahel.[3][4][5] 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.[6]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Urocolius macrourus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22683792A93001520. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683792A93001520.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Jarvis, Erich D.; et al. (12 December 2014). "Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds". Science. 346 (6215): 1320–1331. Bibcode:2014Sci...346.1320J. doi:10.1126/science.1253451. PMC 4405904. PMID 25504713.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Mystery bird: Blue-naped mousebird, Urocolius macrourus". The Guardian. London. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2013-02-04.