Magical mousebirds

"In the trees to the right, see the mousebirds?" asks our guide as he makes a quick stop alongside the dirt road in Addo Elephant Park in South Africa. "They only live here." We strain to make out what and where he is pointing, but see only light-speed movement of the small flock away from the road into the trees. It is the first of three attempts to introduce us as they scurry off like a band of mice. In the day use area where we stop to have a late breakfast, it is a different story. Like many of the common birds here, their docile cousins survive by scrounging on the remnants of visitors, and warily pose for pictures.
About the size of a robin with hair-like feathers, a crest and stubby bills, these birds search threes for berries, fruit and buds. They are talkative, and it's most common to hear rather than see them, unless of course you sneak up on them during their morning sunning. They are found in bands of about twenty in lightly wooded areas.

Not only are they elusive and therefore magical, but because of their low-calorie, fruit-based diet, they go into torpor (temporary or semi-hibernation) on cold nights to conserve energy. Only hummingbirds and nighthawks share this unique trait. They are also acrobats because of their strong feet, large for their size, that allow them to rotate all four toes to face forward to feed upside down, hold food with their feet, and perch with their legs positioned at strange angles.