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.
Region
Eastern Madagascar
Typical Environment
Occupies primary and well-structured secondary lowland evergreen rainforest with dense leaf litter and tangled understory. It prefers quiet interior forest away from edges, using natural embankments and stream banks for nesting burrows. Often found along shaded ravines, old logging tracks, and the bases of large buttressed trees. It avoids heavily degraded habitats and extensive open areas. Activity is concentrated near the forest floor where cover is abundant.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A secretive, ground-dwelling roller of Madagascar’s eastern lowland rainforests, it is the sole member of its genus. Its name comes from the dark-edged feathers that give the underparts a distinctive scaly look. It nests in burrows excavated in earthen banks and is highly sensitive to forest degradation and fragmentation.
Specimen collected in April 1878 and held at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands.
Temperament
secretive and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. Nests in a burrow tunnel dug into an earthen bank or steep slope, where both adults contribute to care. Territorial on suitable stretches of forest floor, using soft vocalizations and posture displays to signal presence.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, mellow whistles often given at dawn and dusk, with phrases that may rise slightly in pitch. Calls are spaced and penetrating but not loud, aiding contact through dense understory.
Plumage
Cryptic olive-brown upperparts with finely mottled patterning and distinctly scaly underparts formed by dark edging on pale feathers. Throat pale to whitish with a contrasting darker facial mask and a faint pale supercilium. Tail and wings subdued, aiding camouflage on the forest floor.
Diet
Feeds mainly on ground-dwelling invertebrates such as beetles, ants, termites, caterpillars, and earthworms. Will also take millipedes and occasionally small vertebrates like frogs or lizards. Forages by pausing and scanning, then hopping forward to seize prey, sometimes flipping leaf litter.
Preferred Environment
Primarily on the shaded forest floor, along fallen logs, root tangles, and leaf-littered trails. Also forages near stream edges and at the bases of large trees where prey is concentrated.
