Cuckoo-roller
Photo: Brian Ralphs from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK · CC BY 2.0

Cuckoo-roller

Cuckoo-roller

Leptosomus discolor

LCLeast Concern
Family
Cuckoo-roller (Leptosomidae)
Order
Leptosomiformes

Overview

The cuckoo-roller or courol (Leptosomus discolor) is the only bird in the family Leptosomidae , which was previously often placed in the order Coraciiformes but is now placed in its own order Leptosomiformes. The cuckoo-roller is at the root of a group that contains the Trogoniformes, Bucerotiformes, Piciformes, and Coraciiformes. Despite its name, the cuckoo-roller does not share close evolutionary origins with cuckoos or rollers, although for long it was counted among the closer relatives of the latter.
It is a medium-large bird, inhabiting forests and woodlands in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Continents

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.