Piapiac

Overview

The piapiac (Ptilostomus afer) is an African bird in the crow family, and is the only member of the genus Ptilostomus. It is considered the least concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• A little smaller and slimmer than the European magpie with a relatively thicker bill.
• Overall colouring is black with silky, purplish-glossy feathers and a brownish tail base.
• Unusually has 10 rather than 12 tail feathers, and upturned nasal plumes that fully cover the nostrils.
• The voice is a shrill squeaking often with jackdaw-like overtones, and a croaking alarm call given in anger with a bobbing head.

Habitat

The range of the species is the tropical equatorial region of central Africa from Senegal eastwards to Sudan and southern Ethiopia. Within this range, its favoured habitat is towards more open country of cultivated land with fields and pasture and small associated towns and villages.

Diet

Food is obtained in flocks of ten or more birds moving together on the ground, including insects, other invertebrates, some carrion, and some fruit. The oily fruit of the oil palm is a favourite. It is able to run fast and catch insects disturbed by the feet of cattle, sometimes hitching a ride on their backs.

Did you know?

The piapiac often nests in a palm tree, and its eggs are very pale blue or greenish-blue with a few brown blotches.