The Speckled Mousebird is a mousy brown colour with a black upper and pinkish lower beak and round green eyes. It has a distinctive high crest on its head and a long tail making up half of its 35cm length. The mousebird is an African bird, it’s distribution stretching all the way from Ethiopia to South Africa.
These mousebirds live in the Tropical House of Paignton Zoo. At this time of year they are very active flying noisily around the house in flocks. Males chasing females.
My eye was caught by movement in one of the trees. I watched as a male bird jumped up and down excitedly on a branch. He was perched beside a female. He occasionally fondly, it seemed, preened her, while she moved closer and fluffed up her feathers. The male then jumped up on her back.
The female mousebird lays three or four eggs. Both male and female mousebirds build a nest and both parent birds and helper birds feed the chicks. After incubation the chicks will forage for themselves within a month.
I find speckled mousebirds attractive birds…not at all mousy and plain, but with that crest… striking.
devon2mother 
