Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus) - HBW 6, p. 75

Taxonomy: Colius striatus J. F. Gmelin, 1789, Cape of Good Hope.
Races can be divided into three groups: "nigricollis group" in NW part of range, comprising races nigricollis and leucophthalmus; "leucotis group" of E, including leucotis, hilgerti, erlangeri, kikuyensis, mombassicus, jebelensis, ugandensis, kiwuensis, congicus, cinerascens, affinis and berlepschi; and "striatus group" of S, with races 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 groups, however, races often intergrade. Race 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 races marsabit and chyulu, now generally merged with kikuyensis; those from Mt Kilimanjaro, in N Tanzania, previously separated as race marangu, but probably a hybrid population and generally placed with cinerascens; and those from NW Zambia, described as race lungae, now normally included in congicus. Nineteen subspecies currently recognized.