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Genus Colius
White-backed Mousebird - This mousebird prefers scrubby dry habitats, such as thornveld, fynbos scrub and semi-desert.
White-headed Mousebird - It is 32 cm long with the long, graduated tail accounting for over half of this. The plumage is mainly greyish with black and white barring on the back, neck and breast. It has a white crest, crown and cheeks. There is a white stripe down the back which becomes visible when the bird flies. Around the eye is a patch of dark, bare skin. The bill is bluish-white above and buff below. In juvenile birds, the throat and breast are buff. The northern subspecies is darker than the southern form .
Speckled Mousebird - This bird is about 35 cm long, with the tail comprising approximately half the length, and weighs about 57 grams . It is well-named, because it is dull-mousy brown in overall color on the back and on the head . The bill is black on the upper part and is a pinkish color on the lower part. The rare White-headed Mousebird can be confused with this species, but the differently colored mandibles and the lack of a bare grey orbital patch render the Speckled species distinctive.