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Cyanomitra
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Mouse-colored Sunbird Cyanomitra veroxii Scientific name definitions

Robert Cheke and Clive Mann
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2008

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

12–14 cm; male 8·5–18·8g, female 7–16·6 g. Nominate race is dark brown with metallic blue-green sheen on crown and nape; mantle grey, rest of upperparts brownish-grey with metallic blue-green sheen (greener than on crown); side of face grey; remiges and greater upperwing-coverts dark brown with pale brown fringes, secondaries edged pale greenish, median and lesser wing-coverts broadly tipped metallic bluish-green; tail dark greyish-brown with green sheen, edged pale greyish-green, outermost rectrix and tip of adjacent one paler, inner borders of underside of rectrices greyish-white; chin to breast pale buff or pale grey, rest of underparts greyish-olive or pale pinkish-grey, scarlet pectoral tufts; axillaries and underwing-coverts grey-white; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Sexes alike, although female occasionally with some yellow in pectoral tufts. Juvenile has olive-green (not grey) mantle, white throat, yellowish-olive underparts brighter on breast than on belly, no pectoral tufts. Race fischeri is smaller than nominate (wing 60–63 mm; nominate 62–68 mm), also paler and greyer, less glossy, above, and paler below; zanzibarica is smaller (wing 59–61 mm), also paler (whiter) below than others, and greyer without metallic tinge above.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Original spelling corrected due to internal information: “the specimen was given to me by Mr Verreaux” (1). Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Cyanomitra veroxii fischeri Scientific name definitions

Distribution

coastal lowlands from E and SE Somalia S to NE South Africa (NE KwaZulu-Natal), extending inland locally to S Malawi.
SUBSPECIES

Cyanomitra veroxii zanzibarica Scientific name definitions

Cyanomitra veroxii zanzibarica
C. v. zanzibarica

Distribution

Zanzibar, off NE Tanzania.
SUBSPECIES

Cyanomitra veroxii veroxii Scientific name definitions

Cyanomitra veroxii veroxii
C. v. veroxii

Distribution

coastal areas of E and S South Africa (E KwaZulu-Natal and E Eastern Cape Province).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Mostly along coasts in forest, woodland, scrub, mangroves and gardens, straying inland into montane forest near coast. Found in deciduous and semi-evergreen thickets and forest and in riverine forest in Malawi.

Movement

Some seasonal movements from forest to acacia (Acacia) woodland; occasional irruptions to W of usual range in South Africa.

Diet and Foraging

Insects, spiders (Araneae), spider eggs; also nectar. Nectar taken from aloes (Aloe), Erythrina, Halleria lucida, Kigelia africana, Leonotis leonurus, Mimusops caffra, Scadoxus puniceus, Schotia afra, Strelitzia nicolai and mistletoes (Loranthaceae). Forages mainly in higher strata of forest. Probes in flowers and mistletoe bunches. Hovers at spider webs to take prey; also hawks insects in flight.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song characteristic, consists of repetitions every 2–5 seconds of 1-second bursts of descending “cherr-chip-chee-churruoo” and variants. Subsong a fast series of “tserr-tserr” mixed with short melodious sections. Calls include “chip”, and “chip-chop”, also “tzeep-tjip-cha” and “sit, tsway-sit so”; alarm call various twitters e.g. “skirree, rirree, rirree…” and “tsink, tsink, tsink”.

Breeding

Egg-laying in May–Jul, Sept and Nov–Dec in Kenya, Jan, Apr and Dec in Tanzania, and Sept–Feb in South Africa. Displaying male thrusts head and neck up and fans wings; males display to each other in sessions for 30 minutes or more. Nest a long pouch, with extensive porch above side entrance, and often with hanging “beard”, often made of Marasmius fungal hyphae, otherwise rootlets, twigs, leaves, bark, down, moss, lichen or grass used, and (in absence of Marasmius) cobwebs used for holding nest together, exterior adornments of bark, web, leaves etc., thickly lined with fine grass on top of leaves, attached 1–6 m up in forest vegetation or in house or hut. Clutch 1–3 eggs, grey-white, buff or dark brown, darker at broader end, occasionally with grey-brown or red-brown spots and streaks; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Rare in Somalia; rare in Malawi range except in Lengwe National Park, where common. Scarce in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique, but race zanzibarica common in coral-rag bush on Zanzibar. There are several records in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe (2). Not uncommon in South Africa along coasts of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape.

Distribution of the Mouse-colored Sunbird - Range Map
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Distribution of the Mouse-colored Sunbird

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Cheke, R. and C. Mann (2020). Mouse-colored Sunbird (Cyanomitra veroxii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.mocsun2.01
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