Short-legged ground roller

Last updated

Short-legged ground roller
Short-legged Ground-roller, Masoala National Park, Madagascar.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Brachypteraciidae
Genus: Brachypteracias
Species:
B. leptosomus
Binomial name
Brachypteracias leptosomus
(Lesson, 1833)

The short-legged ground roller (Brachypteracias leptosomus) is a species of bird in the ground roller family Brachypteraciidae. It is the only living species in the genus Brachypteracias and is endemic to Madagascar. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The short-legged ground roller is the only extant species in the genus Brachypteracias, although a fossil species, Brachypteracias langrandi , has been described. [2] The short-legged ground roller is more arboreal than other ground rollers, and may represent the ancestral form of the family. [3] The genus Brachypteracias once included the scaly ground roller, but a 2001 study of the DNA of the family found that the two are not closely related. The same study found that the short-legged ground roller is basal in the family. [4]

The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek brakhupteros for short-winged. [5] The species name leptosomus is also of Greek origin, and is derived from leptos for delicate and sōma for body. [6]

Distribution and habitat

The short-legged ground roller is endemic to Madagascar, where it is present in the northern part of the island through the eastern coast, to the southern end of the island. Its natural habitat is humid tropical moist lowland forests, from sea-level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft), although it is more common at lower altitudes. It is almost exclusively found in mature closed forest with large trees, but it can also be found on slopes with numerous saplings. It is rarely seen in disturbed forests. [7]

Description

The throat of this species is puffy Short-legged Ground-Roller - Masoala - Madagascar S4E7329 (15101189650).jpg
The throat of this species is puffy

The short-legged ground roller has a large head and bill, and a puffy throat. It is the largest forest ground roller, and is stouter than the other species (except for the scaly ground roller). [3] It measures 30 to 38 cm (12–15 in) in length, and weighs 154–217 g (5.4–7.7 oz). Where sexed individuals have been weighed, the males were heavier, but the sample size was small. Females are smaller in other body measurements, for example the wing chord length, which is 138 to 143 mm (5.4–5.6 in) in females compared to 140 to 152 mm (5.5–6.0 in) in males. [7] As the name suggests, the legs are short for the family, but contrary to its generic name, the wings are the longest in the family, making this the most arboreal species, but it is still not a strong flier. [3]

Like the other members of the family, the plumage is cryptic. [3]

Behaviour

The short-legged ground roller is a secretive species that has only been limitedly studied. Everything that is known about the behaviour of the species has come from a single systematic study of a single pair in Masoala National Park, and from incidental observations of other birds. [8]

Status and conservation

The short-legged ground roller is considered to be fairly common in its natural habitat. Nevertheless, it is considered to be threatened with extinction due to the rapid loss of its habitat to slash and burns for subsistence agriculture. Its habitat is also considered to be threatened by climate change. Modelling of habitat change due to climate change predicts that the species may lose up to 62% of its current habitat. [9] The species is also hunted. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caique</span> Species of bird

Caique refers to a group of four species of parrots in the genus Pionites endemic to the Amazon Basin in South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverbird (bird)</span> Species of bird

The silverbird is an Old World flycatcher native to Eastern Africa, from Sudan to Tanzania. The species is the only member of the genus Empidornis, although it is sometimes placed in the genus Melaenornis .

<i>Climacteris</i> Genus of birds

Climacteris is a genus of bird in the family Climacteridae. These birds and the other members of the family, genus Cormobates, are similar to Northern Hemisphere creepers, Certhiidae, in climbing helically up tree trunks looking for insect food. Differences from Cormobates are

<i>Eulampis</i> Genus of birds

The caribs are a genus, Eulampis, of hummingbirds in the family Trochilidae. The genus contains two species, both of which are endemic to the islands of the Caribbean. The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek word eulampēs meaning 'bright shining'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferruginous partridge</span> Species of bird

The ferruginous partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It belongs to the monotypical genus Caloperdix. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apo myna</span> Species of bird

The Apo myna is a species of starling in the starling family Sturnidae. The species is also known as the Mount Apo starling or the Mount Apo king starling. It is the only member of the genus Goodfellowia. It is endemic to the Philippines found only in the tropical montane forests of Mindanao. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitta-like ground roller</span> Species of bird

The pitta-like ground roller is a species of bird in the ground roller family Brachypteraciidae. The species is monotypic, having no subspecies. It is endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly ground roller</span> Species of bird endemic to Madagascar

The scaly ground roller is a species of bird in a monotypic genus in the near-passerine family Brachypteraciidae. It is endemic to eastern Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. The scaly ground roller is found at elevations below 1,000 meters (3,300 ft), and one of the few birds of Madagascar to reside in lowland rainforest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black cuckooshrike</span> Species of bird

The black cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae. The species is closely related to Petit's cuckooshrike and the red-shouldered cuckooshrike, and forms a superspecies with them. It is also known as the African black cuckooshrike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochre-rumped antbird</span> Species of bird

The ochre-rumped antbird is a species of bird in the antbird family Thamnophilidae. It is endemic to Brazil, in the east and south east of the country in the Atlantic Forest Mountains EBA. It has fairly specific habitat requirements, mostly being found in dense bamboo thickets and the thick understory of montane forest, and also more rarely in lowland evergreen forest, from 300 to 1,950 m (980–6,400 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimson-fronted cardinal</span> Species of bird

The crimson-fronted cardinal is a bird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It is not very closely related to the cardinals proper (Cardinalidae). It is endemic to Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streak-breasted fantail</span> Species of bird

The streak-breasted fantail is a species of bird in the family Rhipiduridae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it occurs in Seram Island. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-and-cinnamon fantail</span> Species of bird

The black-and-cinnamon fantail is a species of bird in the fantail family Rhipiduridae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. There are two subspecies, the nominate R. n. nigrocinnamomea, from central and southern Mindanao; and R. n. hutchinsoni in north, western and eastern Mindanao. The specific name is derived from Latin niger for 'black', and cinnamomeus for 'cinnamon'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafresnaye's vanga</span> Species of bird

Lafresnaye's vanga is a species of bird in the vanga family Vangidae. The species is monotypic and one of three species in the genus Xenopirostris. It is endemic to the south and south west of Madagascar. It inhabits sub-arid thorn scrub, in the Madagascar spiny forests ecoregion, particularly areas with large amounts of dead wood, from sea level to 100 m (330 ft). The species has a small range is not common within that range. It was uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened in 2022 as it is experiencing moderately rapid population decline owing to habitat degradation and loss within its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andaman woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The Andaman woodpecker is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is endemic to the Andaman Islands in India. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-headed ground roller</span> Species of bird

The rufous-headed ground roller is a species of bird in the ground roller family, Brachypteraciidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. There are currently five known species of ground rollers. Four of these species live in the eastern and central highland humid forests. Unlike the four other species, the fifth species lives in the dry southwestern spiny bushes of Madagascar. The Atelornis crossleyi species of the ground rollers lives with most of its family in humid forests. The International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the bird to be near-threatened because, although it is present in a number of protected areas, it is hunted for food and the forests in which it lives are threatened by slash-and-burn cultivation. The bird's scientific name commemorates Alfred Crossley who collected mammals, birds, butterflies and moths in Madagascar and Cameroon in the 1860s and 1870s. Many of these are in the Natural History Museum, London.

<i>Esacus</i> Genus of birds

Esacus is a genus of bird in the stone-curlew family Burhinidae. The genus is distributed from Pakistan and India to Australia. It contains two species, the great stone-curlew and the beach stone-curlew.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan bluetail</span> Species of bird

The Himalayan bluetail, also called the Himalayan red-flanked bush-robin or orange-flanked bush-robin, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher of Muscicapidae. While currently under review, this taxon is not current recognized as a species by BirdLife international.

The Ampoza ground roller was a species of bird in the ground roller family Brachypteraciidae. It is known only from a single humerus fossil discovered in 1929 in southwest Madagascar. Little is known about the species, but it is suggested that the bird's habitat becoming more arid was a contributing factor in its demise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-breasted brown dove</span> Species of bird

The grey-breasted brown dove is a subspecies of amethyst brown dove in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Philippines being found in Negros and Panay. Its natural habitats are or tropical moist lowland forests and tropical moist montane forests. It is found in lowlands but probably prefers middle and high elevations at 500-2000m. It is most often seen singly or in pairs, in and around fruiting trees. The call is a deep, sonorous "hoot-hoot-hoot-hoot", and birds may sit and call for long periods.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2016). "Brachypteracias leptosomus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22682931A92969638. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22682931A92969638.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Goodman, Steven M. (January 2000). "A description of a new species of (Family Brachypteraciidae) from the Holocene of Madagascar". Ostrich. 71 (1–2): 318–322. doi:10.1080/00306525.2000.9639941. S2CID   83685435.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Langrand, O. (2017). Ground-rollers (Brachypteraciidae). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/52276 on 20 March 2017).
  4. ↑ Kirchman, Jeremy J.; Hackett, Shannon J.; Goodman, Steven M.; Bates, John M. (2001). "Phylogeny and Systematics of Ground Rollers (Brachypteraciidae) of Madagascar". The Auk. 118 (4): 849. doi: 10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[0849:PASOGR]2.0.CO;2 .
  5. ↑ Jobling, J. A. (2017). Brachypteracias in Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2017). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from www.hbw.com).
  6. ↑ Jobling, J. A. (2017). leptosomus in Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2017). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from www.hbw.com).
  7. 1 2 Langrand, O. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). Short-legged Ground-roller (Brachypteracias leptosomus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/55865 on 20 March 2017).
  8. ↑ Thorstrom, Russell; Lind, Johan (3 April 2008). "First nest description, breeding, ranging and foraging behaviour of the Short-legged Ground-Roller Brachypteracias leptosomus in Madagascar". Ibis. 141 (4): 569–576. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1999.tb07364.x.
  9. ↑ Andriamasimanana, Rado H.; Cameron, Alison (April 2013). "Predicting the impacts of climate change on the distribution of threatened forest-restricted birds in Madagascar". Ecology and Evolution. 3 (4): 763–769. doi:10.1002/ece3.497. PMC   3631392 . PMID   23610622.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.