Coracias spatulatus spatulatus

(Trimen, 1880)

Vernacular names
English : Racquet-tailed roller
French : Rollier à raquettes

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Coraciiformes
Family : Coraciidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known.

Identification
Total length of 30 cm for a weight of 111 g. Lightest roller species with 8 cm long tail steamers. White forehead, grey nape, chocolate-brown wings with dark blue flight feathers, black tail. Rest of plumage is uniform bright turquoise-blue. This subspecies has blue bib and breast.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in southern Africa, from western Angola and north-west Namibia to Tanzania and Mozambique. It lives in woodlands, well wooded savannas with Acacia trees, up to 1800 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species seems fairly common in parts of its range but is declining in others as it prefers living in relatively undisturbed habitat.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation
Dallas Zoo (USA), San Antonio Zoo (USA), Houston Zoo (USA), SARL C. Roels (France)

 

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