Red-backed Mousebird Colius castanotus

A brownish-gray dumpy-bodied bird with a long scruffy tail, a reddish back, brown ears, a brown crest, and pale eyes. Occurs in small sociable groups in forest edge, woodland, thorn scrub, and cultivated areas along the Angolan escarpment, where it is endemic. One of the most familiar and beloved birds of Angola, where it is known as the “Rabo-de-junco”. Scrambles through bushes and tangles, creeping on short legs. In flight, it appears heavy, fluttering rapidly. Calls include a harsh “chee” and twittering notes like those of Speckled Mousebird, which differs from Red-backed by being lightly barred on the breast and mantle, having a brown back, and in the area of overlap in northern Angola, having dark eyes.