Broad-billed Roller
Eurystomus glaucurus
A small, dark, rufous-cinnamon roller with a chunky yellow bill. In flight it resembles a small falcon, but note its deep wingbeats and undulating flight. Pairs are partial migrants with complex movements; found within savanna, broadleaved woodland, riverine forest, and rainforest edge. It sits on tall bare snags and prefers to hawk insects above the canopy. Its distinctive calls include harsh, scratchy “grrrrrr” and “k-weeek, k-weeek” notes. The similar Blue-throated Roller is smaller, has a blue throat, and is browner under the tail.
Identification
The broad-billed roller is 29–30 cm in length. It has a warm back and head, lilac foreneck and breast, with the rest of the plumage mainly brown. The broad bill is bright yellow. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult, with a pale breast.The broad-billed roller is striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blues of the wings and tail contrasting with the brown back.<p>The call of the broad-billed roller is a snarling k-k-k-k-k-r-r-r-r-r sound.
Taxonomy
The broad-billed roller was formally described in 1776 by the German zoologist Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller under the binomial name Coracias glaucurus. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek glaukos meaning "blue-grey". Statius Müller based his brief description on "Le Rollier de Madagascar" that had been described in 1775 by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and illustrated by Edme-Louis Daubenton. The type locality is Madagascar. The broad-billed roller is now placed in the genus Eurystomus that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the broad-billed roller was most closely related to the blue-throated roller (Eurystomus gularis). Alternate names for the broad-billed roller include the African broad-billed roller and the cinnamon roller.<p>Four subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Eurystomus glaucurus
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Coraciidae
- Genus
- Eurystomus
Range and habitat
This is a species of open woodland with some tall trees, preferably near water. These rollers often perch prominently on trees, posts or overhead wires, like giant shrikes.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
They are inactive for most of the day, apart from chasing intruders, but in late afternoon they hunt for the swarming ants and termites on which they feed, sometimes in groups of 100 or more rollers. They drink like swallows, dipping their bills into water in flight.<p>This bird nests in an unlined hole in a tree cavity, laying 2-3 eggs.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-breasted Antthrush
Formicarius rufipectus
This chunky denizen of the forest floor has a short cocked tail and walks like a chicken. Look for the mostly rufous underparts (especially bright on the breast and undertail coverts) and rufous head with a black face. Like other antthrushes, tends to be quite shy and difficult to see as it struts on the ground within cloud forest. Found at higher elevations than other Formicarius antthrushes, from around 1,100–2,000 m. Far more often heard than seen; listen for the piercing two-parted whistled song, with the second note slightly higher-pitched than the first.
Augur Buzzard
Buteo augur
Chunky buzzard with a reddish tail. The color of the underparts varies: they are normally white, but can be completely black, or mostly chestnut in Somalia. Immature is brown on the back and pale below. Found in hilly and mountainous terrain, in a wide variety of habits including semi-desert, savanna, woodland, grassland, heath, and tree plantations. Call is a short, emphatic yelp. Distinctive across most of its range, but can be confused with Jackal Buzzard in the small area of overlap. Separated there by the pale underwing.
Bahia Antwren
Herpsilochmus pileatus
Small, long-tailed antwren. Males resemble many other antwrens, mostly gray with a black cap, a long white eyebrow, and a black eye-stripe. Females have a streaked crown and a buffy forehead and underparts. Inhabits the middle levels and canopy of coastal forest (restinga), where it forages singly or accompanying mixed-species flocks. Sings a series of 4-7 notes that accelerate gradually and then decelerate slightly at the end.
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