:''The name "purple roller" can also refer to the

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 consider ...

(''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 François Marie Daudin (; 29 August 1776 in Paris – 30 November 1803 in Paris) was a French zoologist. With legs paralyzed by childhood disease, he studied physics and natural history, but ended up being devoted to the latter. Daudin wrote ' ( ...

under the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''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 Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study published in 2018 found that the purple roller was most closely related to the

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 a ...

(''Coracias spatulatus''). Two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

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 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 sav ...

. Found from Senegal and Gambia to Somalia and northern Tanzania * ''C. n. mosambicus'' – Dresser, 1890: Originally described as a separate species. Found from Angola and southern Democratic Republic of Congo to Namibia northern South Africa

Description

The purple roller is the largest of the rollers, growing to a length of . Adults weigh from with an average weight of . From a distance it appears a dull brownish bird with a white stripe over the eye, a patch of white on the nape and a dark tail. Northern populations tend to have a rufus crown while southern populations have a more olive-green crown. The underparts are purplish-pink streaked with white. The wings are long and rounded while the tail is square-cut. The voice is a rather grating "ka" or "gaa", repeated rapidly and evenly.

Behaviour and ecology

Its preferred habitat is dry thornveld where it spends long periods perched at the top of thorn trees or poles, watching for food items such as insects, spiders, scorpions and small lizards on the ground. It rocks to-and-fro about its longitudinal axis during display flights, calling raucously all the while; starting from above the treetops it plummets towards the ground in rolling flight. It is territorial, and during the breeding season will drive off other rollers, small hawks and crows. This species seems to be an opportunist breeder, possibly linked to rains, as its breeding season varies from place to place. It nests in natural hollows in trees or uses old woodpecker holes, or in cliffs, riverbanks, pipes, or holes in masonry, usually laying three white eggs. The young are fed and incubated by both parents.

References

* ''Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa'', 6th edition (John Voelcker Fund, 1993)

External links

* Purple roller �
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q628149

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 wi ...

Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa Coraciidae Taxa named by François Marie Daudin