Speckled Mousebird (Colius Striatus)
[Photo By: KPA]
I'm re-posting my article on the Speckled Mousebird, from October 2022, just as we arrived in Addis Ababa. They are still (or once again?) around, hiding behind leaves.
I heard their quiet, secretive chirping, and made my own bird noise - a foreign, exotic sound. And sure enough, their curiosity got the better of them, and they popped out from behind the leaves to investigate, and possibly to greet, me.
I obliged, with more of my greetings.
This source (also linked below) describes them, as well providing a recording of their sound.
----------------------------------------
[Photo By: KPA]
I saw these funny-looking, tufted birds sitting in the fir tree, not particularity worried about my presence. They allowed me to take their picture.
A geographically-variable, dumpy-bodied, brownish-gray bird with a long, scruffy tail. Differentiated from other mousebrids by its blackish face and gray-brown crest. It is often found scrambling through bushes and tangles, creeping around in short legs. In flight, it flutters rapidly, and its tail seems to drag it down, as if it were too heavy to make it to the bush. Occurs in small, sociable groups in forest edge, savanna, thickets in grassland, and gardens, feeding on fruit, leaves, flowers, and nectar. After eating, birds may hang upside-down and expose the black sink on their bellies to absorb heat and aid digestion. [Source]