Cuckoo-roller
The cuckoo-roller is a large forest bird native to Madagascar and nearby islands, and the sole living member of the family Leptosomidae.
Leptosomidae: Leptosomidae is the bird family containing the cuckoo-roller, its only living species. This monotypic family gives the cuckoo-roller its distinctive taxonomic position.
Insectivory: Insectivory is a diet or feeding strategy based mainly on insects. The cuckoo-roller captures large insects, including prey taken from foliage and branches.
Birdwatching: Birdwatching is the observation and identification of birds in their natural or captive settings. The cuckoo-roller’s size, shape, and plumage make it recognizable in Madagascar’s forests.
Cuckoos: Cuckoos are birds in the family Cuculidae, many of which are known for distinctive calls or brood parasitism. Despite its name and some superficial resemblance, the cuckoo-roller is not a true cuckoo.
Coraciiformes: Coraciiformes is a bird order that includes kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, and related groups. The cuckoo-roller is traditionally placed within this diverse order.
Bird flight: Bird flight is locomotion through the air powered chiefly by movements of the wings. Broad wings support the cuckoo-roller’s flight between forest trees.
IUCN Red List: The IUCN Red List is a global assessment system for species’ extinction risk. Its assessment summarizes the cuckoo-roller’s conservation status and threats.
Rollers: Rollers are birds in the family Coraciidae, known for colorful plumage and rolling courtship flights. The cuckoo-roller is not a member of the roller family, despite its common name.
Madagascar: Madagascar is a large island nation in the Indian Ocean, east of mainland Africa. The island holds most of the cuckoo-roller’s natural range.
Cavity-nesting: Cavity-nesting is reproduction in a sheltered hollow in a tree, rock, or other structure. Cuckoo-rollers nest in tree cavities rather than constructing exposed nests.