Cuckoo-roller

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Cuckoo-roller
Female or juvenile

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Cavitaves
Order: Leptosomiformes
Sharpe, 1891
Family: Leptosomidae
Blyth, 1838
Genus: Leptosomus
Vieillot, 1816
Species:
L. discolor
Binomial name
Leptosomus discolor
(Hermann, 1783)

The cuckoo-roller or courol (Leptosomus discolor)

Trogoniformes, Bucerotiformes, Piciformes, and Coraciiformes.[3] Despite its name, the Cuckoo-roller does not share close evolutionary origins with cuckoos or rollers at all.[4]

It is a medium-large bird, inhabiting forests and woodlands in

Grand Comoro. Based on its smaller size, differences in the plumage
, and minor difference in the voice, the last of these is sometimes considered a separate species, the Comoro cuckoo-roller (L. gracilis).

Description

The cuckoo-roller exhibits a pronounced sexual dichromatism in the plumage.

The cuckoo-roller has a total length of 40–50 cm (16–20 in); the

zygodactylous (two toes forwards, two toes backwards).[2]

Distribution and habitat

The cuckoo-roller occupies a wide variety of habitats, including altered areas. They inhabit forest, including rainforest, litoral forest, deciduous forest, spiny bush-forest, and tree plantations. In the Comoros, the species is found on all the major islands, particularly in forested zones. It can be found from near sea level up to 2000 m.[2]

Behaviour and ecology

The diet of the cuckoo-roller is not well known, but a 1931 expedition found that chameleons and insects, particularly locusts and caterpillars, are important food items.[2] Stomachs have often been found to be lined with caterpillar hairs, and other prey taken include grasshoppers, cicadas, stick insects, and geckos. The principal foraging technique is to perch motionless, watching for prey, then to make a quick sally towards the prey when observed. They also hunt from the air. Prey is caught in the large bill and killed by beating it against a branch.

Very few studies have investigated the breeding habits of the cuckoo-roller. It has been described in the past as a

Incubation is performed by the female only, while the male feeds her. The incubation period is about 20 days, after which fluffy chicks are born. Chicks remain in the nest for 30 days before fledging
.

Status and conservation

The species is not generally hunted and has proven resistant to habitat change that has threatened other native birds. It is assessed as

IUCN.[1] The distribution of the cuckoo-roller is vast, and populations in Madagascar persist in small forest fragments. Areas with abundant populations include broad expanses of forest associated with reserves such as Zahamena, Andringitra, Andohahela, and Marojejy.[2]

Relations with humans

The cuckoo-roller is very tame, and it is generally not disturbed by the inhabitants of Madagascar, many of whom have legends and myths about the species. It is often considered a good omen, as the harbinger of clear weather and (because it is often seen in pairs) as associated with couples and love.

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22682975A92970935.en
    . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (2001)
  3. PMID 32781465
    .
  4. ^ "Leptosomidae Cuckoo-roller".

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leptosomus discolor.
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