Racket-tailed Roller
Coracias spatulatus
Scarce and beautiful long-tailed roller. Varies geographically: birds in the southern part of the range have a blue breast, while those in the north have a pink breast. Distinctive tail shape: rounded rackets at the tips of the elongated outer tail feathers. Found in lush woodland, mostly miombo. Calls are an unmusical variety of hollow notes, squawks, and squeaks. Pink-breasted birds are very similar to Lilac-breasted Roller, but Racket-tailed has rufous on the shoulder and a distinctive tail shape.
Identification
The racket-tailed roller is so named for the conspicuous elongated outer feathers on its tail which have long streamers ending in paddle-shaped tips. The bird is 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) long with the streamers extending another 8 cm (3 in). The forehead and superciliary streak are white, the crown dull green, the back rufous and the tail blue. The underparts are pale blue with whitish streaking. In flight, the purple upper wing with its azure-blue stripe can be seen. The under wing is pale blue with a purplish-black trailing edge and tip. The bird somewhat resembles the European roller (Coracias garrulus) and the lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus), but those species lack the distinctive tail streamers. The beak is black, the eye brownish and the legs are dull yellowish. The juvenile is similar to the adult but less vivid, and lacks the attenuated tail feathers. The voice is a harsh guttural shriek, uttered as it swoops down.
Taxonomy
The racket-tailed roller was formally described in 1880 by the naturalist Roland Trimen under its current binomial name Coracias spatulatus from a specimen collected near the Zambezi River in southern Africa. The specific epithet spatulatus is Modern Latin meaning "spatulate" or "spoon-shaped". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the racket-tailed roller was most closely related to the purple roller (Coracias naevius).<p>The phylogenetic relationships among the Coracias species are shown below, from the molecular study by Johansson et al. (2018)<p>Alternate names for the racket-tailed roller include the Angola racket-tailed roller and Weigall's roller.
- Scientific name
- Coracias spatulatus
- Authority
- Trimen, 1880
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Coraciidae
- Genus
- Coracias
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Similar to other members of Coracias, this species hunts for prey from a perch in the mid-storey region of woodland. When it spots something edible on the forest floor it swoops down to grab the prey. The diet consists mainly of grasshoppers, beetles, insect larvae, scorpions and small lizards. This roller is usually a solitary bird or occurs in pairs, but may form small groups of six or seven birds. It is a territorial species, driving away intruders by rocketing from a height with a raucous screech, rolling from side to side as it levels off, before using its momentum to rise to a perch. It nests in a cavity in a tree trunk or branch about 7 m (23 ft) off the ground, often using a disused nest of a woodpecker or barbet. The clutch is laid in the unlined cavity and usually consists of three or four eggs, but little is known of the nesting habits of this species.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Obi Cicadabird
Edolisoma obiense
Small cuckooshrike with a restricted range, found only on Obi and Bisa Islands, in the central Moluccas. Males are mainly gray with black on the face and wing. Distinctive female is mostly rufous-brown, with unmarked buffy underparts, and a gray cap. Found in forest and forest edge habitats. Vocalizations poorly known, but apparently include a long rattling note. The male is similar to male Pale Cicadabird, but is significantly darker, with a mostly black face. The rufous-brown female is completely different from the pale gray female Pale Cicadabird.
Madagascar Blue Vanga
Cyanolanius madagascarinus
Beautiful blue-and-white mid-sized vanga. Male is bright blue, with a blue bill and black on the chin and front part of the face. Female duller blue, with a dark bill. Found in dry deciduous forest, rainforest, and gallery forest at low and middle elevations. Usually found in pairs, usually in the canopy, and often in mixed flocks with other bird species. Call is a rasping scold that is repeated incessantly. Blue back separates it from White-headed and Chabert Vangas.
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Melithreptus brevirostris
Small honeyeater with brown cap. Primarily gray-brown with olive back and lighter underparts. Eye patch and band leading from the eye to back of the head are cream-colored. Juveniles have pale blue coloration around the eye and a yellow bill. Take care to separate from juvenile White-naped Honeyeater, which lacks the pale half collar around the side of the neck. The plumage of this species varies geographically. Common in eucalypt forests, where it is usually very vocal and active. Forages in small groups.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.