Cuckoo-roller

Overview

The cuckoo-roller, or courol, is the sole member of the family Leptosomidae and the only bird in its own order, Leptosomiformes. Despite its name, it does not share close evolutionary origins with cuckoos or rollers, although it was previously classified among the latter. This medium-large bird is native to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands.

Identification

• Males have a velvety grey chest and head fading to white underparts, with dark iridescent green backs and wing-coverts; females are mostly brown with dark-spotted pale underparts.
• Total length is between 40–50 cm, with a stout bill and eyes set far back in the face.
• Legs and feet are small and zygodactylous, possessing two toes forwards and two toes backwards.

Habitat

Inhabiting forests and woodlands in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, the species occupies a wide variety of habitats, including rainforest, litoral forest, deciduous forest, spiny bush-forest, and tree plantations. It can be found from near sea level up to 2000 m elevation.

Diet

The diet consists mainly of chameleons, insects such as locusts, caterpillars, grasshoppers, cicadas, and stick insects, as well as geckos. The bird forages by perching motionless to watch for prey, then making a quick sally to catch it, or hunting from the air. Prey is caught in the large bill and killed by beating it against a branch.

Did you know?

In Madagascar, the cuckoo-roller is considered a good omen, often seen as a harbinger of clear weather and associated with couples and love because it is frequently observed in pairs.