Jaw
Between the lower jaw and the base of the skull is a supplementary joint that enables mousebirds to swallow large bits of fruits and food. A mousebird breeder once told me that they can swallow food as big as their heads! The jaws are hinged similar to a snake.
A mousebirds bill is short, conical, and decurved and is designed to effectively tear off bits and chunks of fruit or food to swallow. The upper bill acts as a plow, furrowing sections of the fruit, and the lower mandible acts as a scoop for the tongue to deliver the food back into the throat to swallow. In visually seeing this I now offer large or whole chunks of fruit, veggies, and berries. It’s more natural to the birds.
Click on the photos for a larger view
Between the lower jaw and the base of the skull is a supplementary joint that enables mousebirds to swallow large bits of fruits and food. A mousebird breeder once told me that they can swallow food as big as their heads! The jaws are hinged similar to a snake.
A mousebirds bill is short, conical, and decurved and is designed to effectively tear off bits and chunks of fruit or food to swallow. The upper bill acts as a plow, furrowing sections of the fruit, and the lower mandible acts as a scoop for the tongue to deliver the food back into the throat to swallow. In visually seeing this I now offer large or whole chunks of fruit, veggies, and berries. It’s more natural to the birds.
Click on the photos for a larger view
Feet
Mousebirds are pamprodactylous. This means the 2 outer toes are reversible. All four toes can be directed forward at will. The toes have a special anatomical locking mechanism, which includes two small inner muscles pecular to mousebirds, which enables the toes to curl and move downwards when the leg is extended. The flexor tendons of the toes pass through a grooved sheath which serves to restrain slippage. In doing so the mousebird does not use additional energy when hanging.
The feet are a special adaptation as much as their movement and foraging style to food handling. Their very adaptable feet allow them to get close to food if hanging or in out of the way areas, to transferring food to their mouths.
The feet are large, and the legs wide spaced, in proportion to the body. In being widely spaced, this adaption enables the limbs to rotate widely and freely. The toes are very maneuverable, which allows them to climb, and scamper up the side of a cage, hang by a toe nail, or use the foot to hold food while eating. Mousebirds do not perch like most other species. They tend to rest their abdomens, with the legs widely spaced, so providing wide perches and platforms is beneficial.
Click on the photos for a larger view
Mousebirds are pamprodactylous. This means the 2 outer toes are reversible. All four toes can be directed forward at will. The toes have a special anatomical locking mechanism, which includes two small inner muscles pecular to mousebirds, which enables the toes to curl and move downwards when the leg is extended. The flexor tendons of the toes pass through a grooved sheath which serves to restrain slippage. In doing so the mousebird does not use additional energy when hanging.
The feet are a special adaptation as much as their movement and foraging style to food handling. Their very adaptable feet allow them to get close to food if hanging or in out of the way areas, to transferring food to their mouths.
The feet are large, and the legs wide spaced, in proportion to the body. In being widely spaced, this adaption enables the limbs to rotate widely and freely. The toes are very maneuverable, which allows them to climb, and scamper up the side of a cage, hang by a toe nail, or use the foot to hold food while eating. Mousebirds do not perch like most other species. They tend to rest their abdomens, with the legs widely spaced, so providing wide perches and platforms is beneficial.
Click on the photos for a larger view
Feathers
The nice thing about mousebirds is their lack of feather dust/dander, which can be problematic with some species of parrots. They are an ideal pet for those that have developed an allergy or are sensitive to dander.
The contour feathers cover the body almost uniformly, excluding the crest which can be raised or lowered at will. The feathers are soft to the touch, and feel similar to fur. Each feather is soft and hair-like. It is said that they do not have feather tracts, thus the feathers grow randomly on the body. Each feather has a very long aftershaft which is up to four-fifth the length of the main shaft. The contour feathers have loose distal barbs owing to an incomplete development of barbules. This interesting adaptation has resulted in their ability to move unobtrusively (in the wild) through dense shrub. This attributes to the soft hair-like and mouse-like quality to the plumage, which they are named for.
As the birds mature they do not have down feathers. This trait can be problematic if they get wet or drenched because they would lack the insular properties of down to maintain body temperatures.
NOTE: The feathers are not water resistant, so care should be taken that they do not get wet or drenched from water because this will impair their ability to regulate body temperature, and cause irreversible hypothermia. When this happens the bird is defenseless, and arousal/wakening is no longer possible when the body temperature falls below 64.4 degrees (18C)
Mousebirds enjoy sand baths which is a means to keep their plumage dry and less hospitable to external parasites and bacteria.
Click on the photos for a larger view
The nice thing about mousebirds is their lack of feather dust/dander, which can be problematic with some species of parrots. They are an ideal pet for those that have developed an allergy or are sensitive to dander.
The contour feathers cover the body almost uniformly, excluding the crest which can be raised or lowered at will. The feathers are soft to the touch, and feel similar to fur. Each feather is soft and hair-like. It is said that they do not have feather tracts, thus the feathers grow randomly on the body. Each feather has a very long aftershaft which is up to four-fifth the length of the main shaft. The contour feathers have loose distal barbs owing to an incomplete development of barbules. This interesting adaptation has resulted in their ability to move unobtrusively (in the wild) through dense shrub. This attributes to the soft hair-like and mouse-like quality to the plumage, which they are named for.
As the birds mature they do not have down feathers. This trait can be problematic if they get wet or drenched because they would lack the insular properties of down to maintain body temperatures.
NOTE: The feathers are not water resistant, so care should be taken that they do not get wet or drenched from water because this will impair their ability to regulate body temperature, and cause irreversible hypothermia. When this happens the bird is defenseless, and arousal/wakening is no longer possible when the body temperature falls below 64.4 degrees (18C)
Mousebirds enjoy sand baths which is a means to keep their plumage dry and less hospitable to external parasites and bacteria.
Click on the photos for a larger view
Drinking
Mousebirds have conical bills. They drink water by sucking it into the mouth, similar to pigeons and doves. Their diet is also high in water content, thus the need to drink frequently.
Mousebirds have conical bills. They drink water by sucking it into the mouth, similar to pigeons and doves. Their diet is also high in water content, thus the need to drink frequently.
Digestive Tract
Mousebirds have a short, wide gut, lacking caeca, as might be expected of frugivores. Food transit through the digestive tract is very rapid. Since the gut is so short, food travels quickly and digestive efficiency is low. Droppings are very loose. Many times it will appear that they have passed the fruits whole, especially Papaya. I have found that making sure banana is included with every meal, which tends to slightly slow gut transit.
For example: a Blue-naped Mousebirds intestine is approx.19 cm (6.30”) in length. The feces are voided between 6 and 18 minutes after ingestion of fruits. Transit is much slower when leaves are consumed, which may explain why leaves are often chosen as the final meal of the day in the wild. This is important because the nutrition found in leaves/foliage is difficult to use, thus the reason why it moves slower through the gut.
A slow metabolism ensures that the maximum amount of nutrition is extracted from the leaf/foliage. I have learned when weaning chicks or when there are under 3 mousebirds in a group to offer greens as the last meal of the day.
When eating they will average 2-5 grams of food per feeding. In captivity, with a good supply of food available, mousebirds will eat a rate of about three times an hour and consume around 5 g of fruit in that time. In a days time this amounts to a substantial intake of food, thus I’ve found that I will replenish their plates 3-4 times a day. The ingestion of food is equivalent of the individual bird’s body weight. Mousebirds eat very rapidly, taking barely half a minute per feeding. Once satisfied, they go off and cluster or perch near each other with allo-preening amongst flock members.
Most frugivorous species, such as mousebirds, have simple digestive tracts, and they digest the fruit's simple sugars and proteins, but not the fiber in its pulp (such as with watermelon). Retention time of food in the digestive tract is short, and the droppings are voluminous and wet.
Mousebirds have a short, wide gut, lacking caeca, as might be expected of frugivores. Food transit through the digestive tract is very rapid. Since the gut is so short, food travels quickly and digestive efficiency is low. Droppings are very loose. Many times it will appear that they have passed the fruits whole, especially Papaya. I have found that making sure banana is included with every meal, which tends to slightly slow gut transit.
For example: a Blue-naped Mousebirds intestine is approx.19 cm (6.30”) in length. The feces are voided between 6 and 18 minutes after ingestion of fruits. Transit is much slower when leaves are consumed, which may explain why leaves are often chosen as the final meal of the day in the wild. This is important because the nutrition found in leaves/foliage is difficult to use, thus the reason why it moves slower through the gut.
A slow metabolism ensures that the maximum amount of nutrition is extracted from the leaf/foliage. I have learned when weaning chicks or when there are under 3 mousebirds in a group to offer greens as the last meal of the day.
When eating they will average 2-5 grams of food per feeding. In captivity, with a good supply of food available, mousebirds will eat a rate of about three times an hour and consume around 5 g of fruit in that time. In a days time this amounts to a substantial intake of food, thus I’ve found that I will replenish their plates 3-4 times a day. The ingestion of food is equivalent of the individual bird’s body weight. Mousebirds eat very rapidly, taking barely half a minute per feeding. Once satisfied, they go off and cluster or perch near each other with allo-preening amongst flock members.
Most frugivorous species, such as mousebirds, have simple digestive tracts, and they digest the fruit's simple sugars and proteins, but not the fiber in its pulp (such as with watermelon). Retention time of food in the digestive tract is short, and the droppings are voluminous and wet.
Clustering/Torpor
The preferred sleeping position of mousebirds is by hanging in clusters, abdomen to abdomen, with heads upright between their legs, and tails pointing straight down. Clustering is an evolutionary trait that helps to ensure a mousebirds survival, especially since the energy levels of fruit and foods are low. Clustering is done to share body heat, which helps each individual bird conserve it’s own energy.
NOTE: I am still adding info to this section
Speckled cluster
http://www.sirbooga.com/alwt/TANZANIA/arkMousebirds.JPG
White-headed cluster
http://www.birdquest.co.uk/tour_images/82636356.jpg
Click on the photos for a larger view
The preferred sleeping position of mousebirds is by hanging in clusters, abdomen to abdomen, with heads upright between their legs, and tails pointing straight down. Clustering is an evolutionary trait that helps to ensure a mousebirds survival, especially since the energy levels of fruit and foods are low. Clustering is done to share body heat, which helps each individual bird conserve it’s own energy.
NOTE: I am still adding info to this section
Speckled cluster
http://www.sirbooga.com/alwt/TANZANIA/arkMousebirds.JPG
White-headed cluster
http://www.birdquest.co.uk/tour_images/82636356.jpg
Click on the photos for a larger view
