Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernOmnivore

GrasslandCup nestMedium · 128 g

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 1 — Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 4 — Photo: (c) eamonccorbett, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 5 — Photo: (c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 6 — Photo: (c) desertnaturalist, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 7 — Photo: (c) Rafael Würtemberger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 8 — Photo: (c) William Stephens, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 9 — Photo: (c) martin ingemansson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), photo 10 — Photo: (c) Tommy Andriollo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

ID tip

In size it is a little smaller and slimmer than the European magpie (Pica pica) though the bill is relatively thicker. It is 35–42 cm (14–17 in) in length and weighs 121–130 g (4.3–4.6 oz). The overall colouring is black with the feathers quite silky in texture and having a purplish gloss in good light. The base of the tail tends to be more brown in colour than the rest of the body. Unusual for a passerine it has 10 rather than 12 tail feathers. The nasal plumes are somewhat upturned on top of the bill but fully cover the nostrils.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Piapiac

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Piapiac

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 20 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Uganda Nigeria Gambia Ghana Senegal Benin Guinea-Bissau Togo Cameroon Mali Chad Burkina Faso Kenya South Sudan Guinea Niger Sierra Leone Côte d’Ivoire Tanzania Congo - Kinshasa

Recorded as a rare visitor in Mauritania.

About the Piapiac

The piapiac is an African bird in the crow family, and is the only member of the genus Ptilostomus. It is most closely related to the Central Asian ground jays.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Sinaloa CrowCorvus sinaloaeThe Sinaloa crow is 35.5 to 38 cm (14 to 15 in) long; two individuals weighed 229 and 258 g (8.1 and 9.1 oz).

Racket-tailed TreepieCrypsirina temiaThe racket-tailed treepie is an Asian treepie, a member of the crow family, Corvidae.

Southern NutcrackerNucifraga hemispilaThe southern nutcracker is similar in size to the northern nutcracker, about 33 cm long.

Side by side: Piapiac vs Southern Nutcracker · Piapiac vs Sinaloa Crow

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