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keepsmiling
04-18-2013, 11:23 AM
Gryphon is a very unusual bird called a Blue Naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) They are from South Africa, and considered pests in their native place, as they eat fruits and some veggies. Sticks,leaves, and flowers also make up their diet, along with some protein. Like many softbills, they are prone to Hemachromatosis-Iron Storage Disease. He belonged to a woman who became a friend through another forum. He never wanted anything to do with her other mousebirds. She felt it was because he was separated from his family group. He took to me, and we are best buds.
Mousebirds have some very odd traits, and have long gangly legs, and feet that are practically useless for perching like most birds.The feet are called pamprodactylous, which means they are able to rotate all four toes forward at will. They cling to the cage to sleep, and climb like a lizard. On perches he kind of sits on his haunches so to speak, so I give him flat perches mostly. In the wild they scurry around and forage on the ground, hence the name 'mousebird'. They can go into torper,which is more thought of as a lizard or amphibian trait. In fact they kind of resemble a lizard in ways. They have soft fur like feathers, and a hard stiff long tail. To spite their short wings and long tail, they are fast and accurate flyers. Gryphon is also much smarter than some birds his size. He weighs about 60 gms.He is about 6 years old.
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Brodie
04-18-2013, 11:27 AM
Very fascinating!
Never heard of them before, that's pretty cool :)
Welcome to the forum!

keepsmiling
04-18-2013, 12:14 PM
Thanks! Another odd thing they do that I just thought of{as he is doing it now} They take sand baths!:pride:

roxynoodle
04-18-2013, 12:19 PM
Thanks for sharing this information with us, Carole! Gryphon is beautiful!

aliray
04-18-2013, 12:38 PM
When you said long tail you weren't kidding. The face reminds me of a cardinal. Beautiful and interesting bird. What is their life expectancy? I also liked that foraging wreath on the side of the cage

Honesty
04-18-2013, 12:41 PM
What a beautiful Bird:)

keepsmiling
04-18-2013, 12:55 PM
Thank you all!:) Alison,in captivity it used to be low, before people realized and understood their diet, like 6-7 years. Now it is not odd to hear of one living into mid teens and possibly 16 or 17.

Peeker
04-18-2013, 03:40 PM
Thank you for sharing! That's really interesting! Do they use the tail to jump?or maybe propel themselves into the air for flight?

keepsmiling
04-18-2013, 06:29 PM
Hi, thanks for your reply. I am not sure how the tail factors into the flying. All I can say is I have seen him fly faster than a hawk! Long story but he once got outside and spent all afternoon in one of my live oaks. Until a hawk chased him across the street!
Here are a few videos
hanging out
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paper towel wrestling
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sand bathing
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fun with a water bottle
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floor creeping
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Copper
04-20-2013, 11:24 PM
Wow! Love the photos and videos. He is amazing. Was he hand raised? So tame!

I often forget soft bills can also be pets(other than finches and canaries). All yours are so amazing. I have a friend who has a pet Kookaburra, he's pretty cool.

keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 01:52 AM
Thanks so much! Yes, he was hand raised in California. :)

ShellyBorg
04-21-2013, 03:27 AM
Mouse birds are the only bird I have every really thought about breeding. They are so cool.

keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 06:09 AM
Hi Shelly. I got Gryphon from a woman in Ft. Lauderdale who became a friend.I at one time thought of it also. He did not want anything to do with any other mousebird. I tried, but the female was very aggressive...he ended up hating her, so I gave her back to my friend...no charge. She was paired with a gorgeous male, but they have never successfully had babies. One of them is smashing the eggs. Most of the other birds have been sold off now, or are too old to breed. I think she only has one whiteback left, the pair of blue napes, and I am not sure how many others. She used to have speckleds, redface, the whitebacks, and blue napes. Sea world traded some of their speckleds, for some of her blue napes trying to get theirs to breed. They have never had success either. Hers was on and off, but for awhile she was doing fairly well. I think her interest has now shifted back to cockatiels, her first love. She is an amazing woman who documents everything though. She even started a website about mousebirds. So I see those hurdles as making it difficult to raise them. That and the fact if the parents won't feed, all babies die if they are under three days. So finding birds at a good age, who will pair, have success, and are not related....big challenge.

Birdboy
04-21-2013, 06:37 AM
hi, he/she is an amazing bird. Never heard of one befor. I am lookign forward to seeing and finding out more :)

keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 06:51 AM
Thank you Blake. Gryphon is all male. He gives me kisses.:th_heart:
here are more pics
his cage
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kind of a washed out pic but you can see there are many colors on him
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keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 06:52 AM
cute pic of one of my friend's babies
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keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 07:02 AM
I love this pic
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Birdboy
04-21-2013, 09:50 AM
Wow, thanks for showing all of those extra photos. They are AMAZING

keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 11:41 AM
Thank you Blake!:friendly_wink:

Antoinette
04-21-2013, 01:19 PM
What a beautiful bird, never heard of them before and I live in South Africa :glitter-omg-emotico

keepsmiling
04-21-2013, 01:32 PM
:th_embarassed: That is funny Antoinette. Many people come each year to another place I am a member of and ask for help, as their cat has inevitably brought one home, or they have found one some where. Thanks for the compliment. :)

Wendy K.
04-21-2013, 01:49 PM
Gryphon is phenomenal! NEVER even heard of those, and I LOVE all the pics and videos!!! :awesome-smiley-emot

keepsmiling
04-24-2013, 10:59 AM
Thank you Wendy!:peaceful:

mistywaterwoman
05-03-2013, 04:22 PM
OMG, that paper towel video is HYSTERICAL!! :th_rofl:

He is SO cool, Carole!!!! Thanks for "sharing" him with us!!

keepsmiling
05-03-2013, 10:27 PM
Thanks Kara. He is a pretty special little guy.:)

ShellyBorg
05-06-2013, 07:17 PM
Well thanks to you and Griffin I will be meeting a breeder later this summer and talking to them about what is needed and how to get started. I am also ordering a Mousebird breeder book.

keepsmiling
05-06-2013, 09:35 PM
That is wonderful news! Keep me updated, and if I can help in any way, let me know. I can give you my number and tell you what I know. I can also give you Susanne's contact info if you would like. She has had better luck breeding them than just about anyone.{zoos call her for advice} Have you see her mousebird site?

jtbirds
05-09-2013, 02:04 AM
I love all of your birds pictures and stories, beautiful beautiful birds! He is very tame for being a mousebird, shows how much time you have spent with him!

keepsmiling
05-09-2013, 07:51 AM
Thank you Justin!:th_hug8:

Kalidasa
05-09-2013, 08:01 AM
First time I remember seeing this bird. Very beautiful, like a jay but has a softer, deferent look. It's so cool how birds and humans find each other, how they just pick their people and know who's good for them. :)
I love the pic of him hanging on the screen! What a doll!

keepsmiling
05-09-2013, 08:05 AM
Thank you Chris! :th_hug8: Gryphon is like a hidden gem. He really is a special bird, I am lucky to share my life with.