text: long - tailed ground roller the long - tailed ground roller ( uratelornis chimaera ) is a species of bird in the ground roller family , placed in the monotypic genus uratelornis . endemic to arid spiny forests near the coast in southwestern madagascar , this ground roller occurs at extremely low population densities throughout its habitat . this species requires shade and a deep layer of leaves on the ground , and it is absent from parts of the spiny forest lacking these features . it has no recognized subspecies , and its closest relative is the scaly ground roller . the long - tailed ground roller is the only ground roller to definitively display sexual dimorphism ( differences in plumage or size between sexes ) . it is a medium - sized bird with a plump silhouette and a long tail . the upperparts are dark brown with black streaks while the underparts are light gray . the white throat is framed by black malar stripes and a black breastband , and a white stripe is present at the base of the bill . sky - blue feathers are visible at the edge of the wings and the tail . calls are rarely made outside of the breeding season , though multiple courtship calls are made . these ground rollers feed primarily on invertebrates , including ants , beetles , butterflies , and worms , which they find by searching through deep leaf litter or by remaining still and watching attentively . the ground roller primarily runs through its habitat on its strong legs , as its wings are relatively weak . the long - tailed ground roller is a monogamous species , and it defends a territory during the breeding season of october to february . the species digs a tunnel in the sand , at the end of which is a wider chamber where it makes its nest out of leaves and earthy pellets . two to four eggs are laid . after the chicks fledge , the birds continue living in family groups until at least february before dispersing more widely across the scrubland . this bird is classified as vulnerable by the iucn and is threatened by habitat destruction . the arid spiny forests in which it lives are not protected by the malagasy government , and as such the bird is losing habitat to slash - and - burn agriculture , charcoal collection , and logging . this ground roller is also hunted by the native peoples of madagascar . taxonomy british banker and naturalist walter rothschild first described the long - tailed ground roller in 1895 , giving it the scientific name uratelornis chimaera ; rothschild published his description in novitates , the periodical of his private museum . the adaptations required for the ancestral long - tailed ground roller to inhabit scrubland led rothschild to create the monotypic genus uratelornis for the species in his description . the genus name uratelornis is derived from the ancient greek word oura " tail , " and in reference to another genus of ground roller . comes from the ancient greek words " indeterminate or incomplete , " and " bird . " the specific name , chimaera , is a reference to the ancient greek mythological creature known as the chimera . the long - tailed ground roller is placed in the ground roller family , which gets its common name due to its similarity to the rollers and its largely terrestrial nature . until recently the ground rollers , cuckoo roller , and rollers were all placed in a single family , , in which each of the three groups formed a subfamily . in 1971 , joel cracraft proposed a separate family for the ground rollers based on significant differences in behavior , plumage , and post - cranial anatomy between the groups . this position is supported by dna evidence . it has been suggested , but not widely accepted , that ground rollers are closely related to the and . it has been speculated that the ancestor of the long - tailed ground roller was an arboreal roller that crossed over from africa to madagascar and developed a terrestrial lifestyle before moving from the rainforests into the long - tailed ground roller 's arid scrubland . no fossils have been found for this genus , and genetic analysis suggests that this bird 's closest relative is the scaly ground roller . the long - tailed ground roller has no subspecies . description the long - tailed ground roller 's silhouette is highly distinctive due to its long tail and plump silhouette . the bird is 34 to 47 centimeters ( 13 to 19 in ) long , although its tail can contribute up to 30 centimeters ( 12 in ) of the length , which makes it the longest tail of any of the ground rollers . this ground roller has short wings and long , pinkish - brown legs . the male has a sandy buff crown and dark brown upperparts with black streaks . its supercilium is a pale buff color , while the ear - coverts are brown . the eyes are brown , while the short and stout beak is black . its tongue is long with a brush - like tip to help it collect insects . a white stripe is present at the base of the bill and is surrounded by brown and black malar stripes . these malar stripes and the black breastband frame a white throat . the tail has 15 to 20 dark brown bars marking it , while the outer rectrices are sky blue ; this sky blue is also present on the wing - coverts . in flight , the bird 's two black and white bands on the primaries and secondaries are conspicuous . the underparts are a light gray , and the breast white . the toes are , with the first and fourth toes turned outwards and the middle two toes turned inwards . the female resembles the male , but is smaller and has a narrower and a shorter tail . also , the female loses her tail while nesting . these differences make the long - tailed ground roller the only ground roller to definitively display sexual dimorphism . juveniles of both sexes resemble the adult female , but have duller plumage , particularly in the black bands on the chest , neck , and eyes . although it is generally a silent species , during the breeding season the vocalizations of the long - tailed ground roller include a " hooting " sound , a " popping " tu - tuc , and a soft boo sound . the low - pitched " hooting " is given by males from a perch 2 to 6 meters ( 6 . 6 to 19 . 7 ft ) above the ground at dusk or at night . the sound carries for a distance of at least 200 meters ( 660 ft ) and may either attract a mate or defend a territory . the bird pumps its tail while giving this call . one territorial call is a series of soft boo notes , typically coming in sets of six to ten and descending in volume near the end . another call , given by both sexes , is a series of chuckling tu - tuc sounds lasting between 10 and 40 seconds that occasionally ends in a loud snapping sound produced by the wings . this call is given when birds are close to each other either on the ground or on low perches , and it does not carry over long distances . the use of wing - snapping to produce a sound is a rare phenomenon in birds , and in the order only one other family , the , is known to do it . low gu notes are given by mates as they come in contact with each other . distribution and habitat endemic to the island nation of madagascar , the long - tailed ground roller inhabits a narrow strip of suitable habitat by the coast in the southwestern part of the island . this strip is bordered by the mangoky river in the north , the fiherenana river in the south , and lowland hills in the east . it totals about 10 , 500 square kilometers ( 4 , 100 sq mi ) in area ; however , the species is extremely uncommon within its range and occurs at densities of about 0 . 8 to 10 per square kilometer ( 2 . 1 to 25 per square mile ) . this area ranges in elevation from sea level to 100 meters ( 330 ft ) . the long - tailed ground roller does not migrate , though it may disperse across a larger area outside of the breeding season . this species ' prime habitat is spiny forest , a mix of sub - arid thorn - scrub and deciduous woodland that only receives on average 500 millimeters ( 20 in ) of water a year and is covered in sandy soil . the dominant plants in these spiny forests belong to the cactus - like didiereaceae family ( especially madagascariensis ) and more tree - like euphorbiaceae family ( especially euphorbia ) . trees are also prevalent . it was formerly believed that the long - tailed ground roller preferred an undisturbed forest habitat , while tolerating small amounts of disturbance . later studies have concluded that it actually prefers degraded habitat . despite this , shade is necessary , and the species is not found in deforested habitat or on the shadeless dunes prevalent in its range . ecology and behavior the long - tailed ground roller is a shy and elusive bird and , if seen by a human observer , it either freezes or runs away . as its short wings suggest , the species rarely flies , but it is a powerful runner . while largely terrestrial , it roosts in low trees and bushes , and sings from low perches . long - tailed ground rollers are solitary outside the breeding season . although diurnal , it does occasionally forage at night unlike most other ground rollers . when calling , this ground roller bobs its head and raises its tail . the long - tailed ground roller also raises its tail when it is excited . diet this species forages almost exclusively from the ground , where it alternates between remaining still and watching attentively and actively searching for it by rummaging through deep leaf litter . it eats a wide range of invertebrates , including ants , beetles , butterflies , caterpillars , cockroaches , grasshoppers , woodlice , and worms , and occasionally small vertebrates . despite the long - tailed ground roller 's poor flying abilities , it has been seen catching butterflies in midair . reproduction the breeding season coincides with the rainy season , which lasts from october to january . during this period this bird abandons its solitary habits to find a mate , with which it remains monogamous . males form territories during the breeding season , and they defend their area with territorial calls . these calls are given from a perch up to 6 meters ( 20 ft ) off the ground for an hour after sunrise and occasionally throughout the day and night . during courtship , males have been observed feeding the female . male and female long - tailed ground rollers use their bills and feet to excavate a burrow in consolidated , flat sand and construct their nest at the end of it . the burrow , always constructed away from grassy vegetation , is downward - sloping and is between 0 . 8 and 1 . 2 meters ( 2 . 6 and 3 . 9 ft ) long with a diameter of 8 centimeters ( 3 . 1 in ) . the end of the burrow widens into a 20 - centimeter ( 7 . 9 in ) wide chamber with a shallow depression covered in dry leaves and earthy pellets . when digging its nest , the long - tailed ground roller occasionally walks underneath a low branch , tilts its head upwards , and , while remaining motionless , releases a rising crescendo of its tu - tuc calls . at the height of the crescendo the bird breaks off its call and flies upwards onto the branch while producing a " ripping and crackling sound " with its wingbeats . from the perch the bird releases a stream of boo notes . this display is thought to be part of a courtship ritual . each pair digs one to six nesting burrows during the breeding season ; the extra burrows are known as speculative burrows . between october and january , and peaking in november , the species normally lays two smooth , white eggs , though sometimes it lays three or four . the incubation period and fledging time of this ground roller is unknown . after the young fledge , they live in a family group of four to five birds until approximately february , at which point the family disperses . conservation classified as vulnerable by the iucn due to ongoing habitat destruction and a decline in the quality of the remaining habitat , the long - tailed ground roller is believed to be the most threatened species of ground roller . thirty percent of its already small habitat area was degraded between the mid - 1970s and 2000 . slash - and - burn agriculture , charcoal production , logging , and cattle grazing have all contributed to the loss of habitat . as of 2012 , no reserves protect any portion of its habitat , and as a result its habitat has been described as the area of madagascar most in need of conservation efforts . it is also threatened by both hunting and egg - collecting . in addition to humans , dogs hunt this species , and the introduced black rat is a nest predator . this ground roller is capable of tolerating some habitat disturbance , but requires a suitable amount of shade and leaf litter to continue living in the area . although it was fairly common at the beginning of the twentieth century , its population went into decline and it was considered rare by the 1960s . as of 2012 , the estimated population of the long - tailed ground roller is between 9 , 500 and 32 , 700 birds and declining . relationship with humans as the long - tailed ground roller is remarkably silent and difficult to see during the non - breeding season , the local inhabitants of madagascar once believed that this bird hibernated in its burrows . while not particularly tasty , this species is hunted for food due to its large size and the relative ease of capture compared with arboreal birds . in the early twentieth century , it was hunted by herdsmen with blowguns . in the 1950s and 1960s , natives trapped this ground roller and dug out its nesting burrows . this bird has been featured on several of madagascar 's stamps . only one zoo , germany 's , keeps this species . it is considered by birdwatchers to be one of the world 's most elusive birds .