Speckled Mousebird (Colius) [XC609488]
by Lynette Rudman from Oldonyosambu, Arusha, Tanzania (call)
Speckled Mousebird (Colius) [XC33828]
by Mike Nelson from Tent with a view' lodge, Saadani, Tanzania (call)
Subspecies
Subspecies can be divided into three groups: "nigricollis group" in north-western part of range, comprising nigricollis and leucophthalmus; "leucotis group" of east, including leucotis, hilgerti, erlangeri, kikuyensis, mombassicus, jebelensis, ugandensis, kiwuensis, congicus, cinerascens, affinis and berlepschi; and "striatus group" of south, with simulans, rhodesiae, integralis, minor and striatus. Each group possibly approaching species level, given rare occurrence of hybridization and nearly complete lack of intergradation in contact areas. Within each groups subspecies often intergrade. Subspecies erlangeri often merged with leucotis, ugandensis sometimes with kiwuensis, berlepschi with affinis, and integralis with minor. Birds with reddish-brown upperparts and breast from Mt Marsabit and Chyulu Hills, in Kenya, sometimes separated respectively as subspecies marsabit and chyulu, now generally merged with kikuyensis. Birds from Mt Kilimanjaro, in northern Tanzania, previously separated as subspecies marangu, but probably a hybrid population and generally placed with cinerascens. Birds from north-western Zambia, described as subspecies lungae, now normally included in congicus.
The following 19 subspecies are recognised:
nigricollis Vieillot, 1817 - Ghana (Mole Game Park), and south-eastern Nigeria (east of R Niger and Jos Plateau) east to south-western Central African Republic and south to western Angola (Cabinda south to northern Namibe) and south-western Zaire.
leucophthalmus Chapin, 1921 - South-eastern Central African Republic, north-eastern Zaire and south-western Sudan.
leucotis Rüppell, 1839 - Eastern Sudan (Blue Nile) and western Ethiopia.
kiwuensis Reichenow, 1908 - Area between L Albert and L Tanganyika, in eastern Zaire, western Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
ugandensis van Someren, 1919 - Southern Uganda, western Kenya and extreme north-western Tanzania.
kikuyensis van Someren, 1919 - Central Kenya Highlands and nearby northern Tanzania.
mombassicus van Someren, 1919 - Southern Somalia, coastal eastern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania.
congicus Reichenow, 1923 - South-eastern Zaire (Kasai Oriental east to L Tanganyika) south to north-eastern Angola and north-western Zambia.
cinerascens Neumann, 1900 - Central-northern, western and central Tanzania.
affinis Shelley, 1885 - Coastal eastern Tanzania.
berlepschi Hartert, 1899 - Southern Tanzania, north-eastern Zambia and Malawi.
simulans Clancey, 1979 - Extreme southern Malawi, and central Mozambique (along R Zambezi valley).
rhodesiae Grant, CHB & Mackworth-Praed, 1938 - Highlands of eastern Zimbabwe and adjacent Mozambique (Manica and Sofala).
integralis Clancey, 1957 - South-eastern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique (south to Delagoa Bay) and north-eastern South Africa (eastern Transvaal, north-eastern Zululand).
minor Cabanis, 1876 - Eastern South Africa (most of Transvaal and Natal), Swaziland and extreme southern Mozambique.
striatus Gmelin, 1789 - Southern South Africa (Cape Province east to R Great Kei).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet