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  Profile

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  In flight

Tropical Birds

Cuckoo Roller

Leptosomus discolor

• epic
• 43 km/h
• Least Concern

The sole member of its entire family, found only on Madagascar and Comoros.

Population

Unquantified globally; described by BirdLife/IUCN as widespread in suitable habitat but patchily distributed and locally uncommon elsewhere, with a suspected slow decreasing trend

Habitat

Forests and woodlands (medium forest dependency) — subtropical/tropical moist lowland forest (major habitat), montane forest, dry forest, littoral/spiny bush-forest, plus grassland, shrubland, and plantations; occurs from sea level to ~2,180 m elevation

Fun fact

The Cuckoo Roller is the sole living member of both its family (Leptosomidae) and order (Leptosomiformes), and despite its name is not closely related to true cuckoos or true rollers.

Range

Resident endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands (including Mayotte, Anjouan, Grande Comore); Extent of Occurrence ~928,000 km²

Diet

Carnivorous — primarily chameleons and large insects (locusts, grasshoppers, cicadas, caterpillars, stick insects); also geckos

Size

0.45 m