- Coracias affinis
Identification
- Crown, wings and tail mostly different nuances of blue
- Mantle and back greyish brown, should have a greenish hue but often difficult to see in images
- Underside greyish-brown with purplish-blue streaks or wash, especially on throat and center of underside
Similar species
Indian Roller is not as dark, lacks purplish on throat area, paler, mostly greenish wings when folded, and tail pattern is different in that outer tail feathers have darker blue both proximal and distal of the bluish-green.
Distribution
From northeast India and eastern Nepal to south-central China, northern Malay Peninsula and Indochina.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Indochinese Roller was recently split from Indian Roller
Habitat
Likes wet areas including rise fields as well as more open woodland.
Behaviour
As a recent split species, it is difficult to find data that applies to this form with certainty.
Vocalisation
Series of grunting notes
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2021. IOC World Bird List (v11.1). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.11.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Grimmett, R, C Inskipp, and T Inskipp. 2012. Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and The Maldives, second edition. Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691153490
- del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Indochinese Roller (Coracias affinis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.indrol3.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Indochinese Roller. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indochinese_Roller
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
