What does coly mean?
A coly is one of several slender, long-tailed birds that make up the African family Coliidae, better known to most readers as mousebirds. Restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, these small, drab-plumaged birds are named for the way they scurry along branches in tight-knit groups, using their feet and legs much as rodents do; they can also rotate their outer toes so they can hang awkwardly — yet comfortably — beneath twigs while feeding on fruit, seeds, and buds. In ornithological and natural-history writing, "coly" serves as a compact alternative to the more familiar "mousebird," and it appears especially in references to particular species such as the blue-naped coly. Though rarely heard outside birding circles, the word offers writers a precise, evocative term for one of Africa's most distinctive and endearing families of birds.
nounA coly is any of several slender, long-tailed African birds of the genus Colius (family Coliidae), commonly known as mousebirds because their scurrying, mouse-like movement through vegetation.
- Any of several African birds of the genus Colius (family Coliidae), also called mousebirds, noted for their long tails, crests, and mouse-like scurrying through vegetation.
"A troop of colies scrambled along the acacia branch, hanging upside down to reach the ripe berries."
"From the hide we watched a party of colies strip the fruiting fig tree branch by branch."
"The blue-naped coly is among the most striking members of its family, with a vivid patch on the hindneck."
Both plural forms are attested; "colies" follows the standard -y → -ies pattern.
"The riverine forest echoed with the soft calls of foraging colies."
Coly birds are nicknamed mousebirds because they scurry through trees like rodents — and unlike most birds, they can hang upside down by their feet for long stretches.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coly
The word "coly" comes from the scientific Latin name Colius, the genus established for these birds in early modern ornithology; English naturalists adapted the Latin form into the vernacular "coly." The ultimate origin of Colius itself is obscure, and no secure Greek or Latin root can be stated with confidence. The birds' other common name, mousebird, arose independently from their rodent-like locomotion rather than from the same source.
Related word forms
How coly is actually used
"Coly" is primarily a term of ornithology and natural-history writing rather than everyday speech; "mousebird" is the more familiar common name. The plural appears as both "colies" and "colys."
Easily confused with coly
"Coli" refers to bacteria such as E. coli, whereas a coly is an African bird of the family Coliidae.