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Coraciidae
Coraciidae is a family of Old World birds, which is known as rollers because of the aerial acrobatics some of these birds perform during courtship or territorial flights. Rollers resemble crows in size and build, and share the colourful appearance of kingfishers and bee-eaters, blues and pinkish or cinnamon browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but not the outer one. They are mainly insect eaters, with ''Eurystomus'' species taking their prey on the wing, and those of the genus ''Coracias'' diving from a perch to catch food items from on the ground, like giant shrikes. Although living rollers are birds of warm climates in the Old World, fossil records show that rollers were present in North America during the Eocene. They are monogamous and nest in an unlined hole in a tree or in masonry, and lay 2–4 eggs in the tropics, 3–6 at higher latitudes. The eggs, which are white, hatch after 17–20 days, and the young remain in the nest for approximately ano ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indian Roller
The Indian roller (''Coracias benghalensis'') is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is long with a wingspan of and weighs . The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light and dark blue on the wings and tail. The bright blue markings on the wing are prominent in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognised. The Indian roller occurs widely from West Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Often found perched on roadside trees and wires, it is common in open grassland and scrub forest habitats, and has adapted well to human-modified landscapes. It mainly feeds on insects, especially beetles. The species is best known for the aerobatic displays of males during the breeding season. Adult males and females form pair bonds and raise the young together. The female lays 3–5 eggs in a cavity or crevice, which is lined with a thin mat of straw or feathers. The roller is the state bird of three Indian sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base), though in many kingfishers one of these is missing. The members of this order are linked by their “slamming” behaviour, thrashing their prey onto surfaces to disarm or incapacitate them. This is largely an Old World order, with the representation in the New World limited to the dozen or so species of todies and motmots, and a mere handful of the more than a hundred species of kingfishers. The name Coraciiformes means " raven-like". Specifically, it comes from the Latin language "corax", meaning "raven" and Latin "forma", meaning "form", which is the standard ending for bird orders. Systematics This order has been seen to be something of a mixed assortment, and the Coraciiformes may be considered as including only the rollers. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lilac-breasted Roller
The lilac-breasted roller (''Coracias caudatus'') is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and savanna, and it is for the most part absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, amphibians and small birds moving about on the ground. Nesting takes place in a natural hole in a tree where a clutch of 2–4 eggs are laid, and incubated by both parents, who are extremely aggressive in defence of their nest, taking on raptors and other birds. During the breeding season the male will rise to a fair height (69 to 144 metres), descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries. The sexes are different in coloration, and juveniles lack the long tail streamers of adults. This species is unofficially considered the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Roller
The European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its overall range extends into the Middle East, Central Asia and the Maghreb. The European roller is found in a wide variety of habitats, avoiding only treeless plains. It winters primarily in dry wooded savanna and bushy plains, where it typically nests in tree holes. Taxonomy and systematics The European roller was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' under its current the binomial name ''Coracias garrulus''. The type locality is Sweden. The generic name derives from Greek ''korakias'' referring to a type of crow, perhaps the red-billed chough. The specific epithet ''garrulus'' is from Latin and means 'chattering' in reference to the bird’s calls. Alternate English names include the blue roller, common roller, Eurasian roller, or simply roller. A molecular phylogenetic study publi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurystomus
''Eurystomus'' is a genus of roller, one of the two genera in that family of birds. The name means ‘broad mouth’, from the Greek ''eurus'' (, ‘broad, wide’) and ''stoma'' (, ‘mouth’). ''Eurystomus'' contains four broad-billed species, which breed in Africa, Asia and Australasia. Two species are restricted to Africa, one of which, the broad-billed roller, is migratory. The oriental dollarbird has a large distribution ranging from India to Japan and Australia and it too, is migratory over the northern and southern extremes of its range. The final species, the azure dollarbird, is endemic to the Moluccas in Indonesia. In general they are open country foragers, occurring in woodland, savanna and farmland. The azure dollarbird and the broad-billed roller are both associated with rainforests but nevertheless require open areas in which to forage. The species of the genus ''Eurystomus'' vary from the other genus of rollers, ''Coracias'', in having proportionally longer win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Purple Roller
:''The name "purple roller" can also refer to the azure dollarbird (''Eurystomus azureus'') of Indonesia.'' The purple roller (''Coracias naevius''), or rufous-crowned roller, is a medium-sized bird widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Compared with other rollers its colours are rather dull and its voice harsh and grating. Taxonomy and systematics The purple roller was formally described in 1800 by the French zoologist François Marie Daudin under the binomial name ''Coracias naevia''. Daudin's description was based on a specimen collected in Senegal. The specific epithet is from Latin ''naevius'' meaning "spotted" or "marked". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the purple roller was most closely related to the racket-tailed roller (''Coracias spatulatus''). Two subspecies are recognised: * Lilac-throated roller (''C. n. naevius'') – Daudin, 1800: The common name for this subspecies is also used as an alternate name for the lilac-breasted roller. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coracias
''Coracias'' is a genus of the rollers, an Old World family of near passerine birds related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups, blues and browns predominating. The two outer front toes are connected, but not the inner one. Taxonomy The genus ''Coracias'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his '' Systema Naturae''. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''korakías'' (), derived from ''korax'' (, ‘raven, crow’). Aristotle described the ''coracias'' as a bird as big as a crow with a red beak, which some believe to be the chough. The type species was designated as the European roller (''Coracias garrulus'') by George Robert Gray in 1855. The phylogenetic relationships among the species were determined in a molecular study published in 2018. Species Nine species are recognized: Former species Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspeci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blue-throated Roller
The blue-throated roller (''Eurystomus gularis'') is a species of roller in the family Coraciidae. It is native to the African tropical rainforest. Taxonomy and systematics The blue-throated roller was formally described in 1819 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot under its current binomial name ''Eurystomus gularis''. The specific epithet ''gularis'' is Modern Latin meaning "-throated". Vieillot based his description on a specimen in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris which he mistaken believed had been collected in "Australasie"; the type locality has been designated as Senegal. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the blue-throated roller was most closely related to the broad-billed roller (''Eurystomus glaucurus''). Two subspecies are recognized: * ''E. g. gularis'' - Vieillot, 1819: Found from Guinea to western Cameroon * ''E. g. neglectus'' - Neumann, 1908: Found from south-eastern Nigeria and southern Cameroon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azure Dollarbird
The azure dollarbird (''Eurystomus azureus'') also known as the azure roller, purple dollarbird or purple roller, is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is endemic to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Formerly, some authorities considered the azure dollarbird to be a subspecies of the oriental dollarbird. A molecular phylogenetic study by Ulf Johansson and collaborators published in 2018 found that the azure dollarbird was nested in a clade containing subspecies of the Oriental dollarbird (''Eurystomus orientalis''). Habitat The azure dollarbird's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and plantations. It is negatively affected by habitat loss. For some time, it was assumed to be decreasing in numbers quite rapidly and it was uplisted to Vulnerable in the 2000 IUCN Red List. However, more recently it was determined to be—although still declining—more common than previously believed and thus it has now been downlisted to Near Threatened i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Racket-tailed Roller
The racket-tailed roller (''Coracias spatulatus'') is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is found in southern Africa from Angola, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Tanzania to northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. Taxonomy and systematics 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''). Alternate names for the racket-tailed roller include the Angola racket-tailed roller and Weigall's roller. Description The racket-tailed roller is so named for the conspicuous elongated outer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azure Dollarbird
The azure dollarbird (''Eurystomus azureus'') also known as the azure roller, purple dollarbird or purple roller, is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is endemic to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Formerly, some authorities considered the azure dollarbird to be a subspecies of the oriental dollarbird. A molecular phylogenetic study by Ulf Johansson and collaborators published in 2018 found that the azure dollarbird was nested in a clade containing subspecies of the Oriental dollarbird (''Eurystomus orientalis''). Habitat The azure dollarbird's natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and plantations. It is negatively affected by habitat loss. For some time, it was assumed to be decreasing in numbers quite rapidly and it was uplisted to Vulnerable in the 2000 IUCN Red List. However, more recently it was determined to be—although still declining—more common than previously believed and thus it has now been downlisted to Near Threatened i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broad-billed Roller
The broad-billed roller (''Eurystomus glaucurus'') is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa and Madagascar in all but the driest regions. It is a wet season breeder, which migrates from the northern and southern areas of its range towards the moister equatorial belt in the dry season. 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 Jean Pierre Vieillot. A molecular phylogenetic study pub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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