One of Madagascar’s most unusual forest birds—part roller, part “secret forest runner.” It lives only in eastern Madagascar, mostly in humid lowland rainforest, and it tends to stick to darker, thicker parts of the forest where leaf litter is deep. Unlike the bright, sky-flying rollers people imagine, this one is shy and often seen alone, moving quietly on the forest floor. If you’re lucky enough to spot it, it may look like it’s “thinking” its way through the undergrowth—run a bit, freeze, listen, then run again.

Its most distinct look is the “scaly” pattern that gives it its name: the head and underparts show a black-and-white, scale-like design that looks almost like careful hand-stitching. Add a rusty collar on the back of the neck, greenish wings marked with pale crescent shapes, and long pink-orange legs, and you get a bird that’s both camouflaged and flashy at the same time. Another big difference from many rollers is how it moves: it has short wings and usually only flies short distances, so it relies on running and hopping more than flying. It also has a surprisingly expressive voice for such a quiet bird: a short, muffled call while foraging, a hissing alarm sound, and during breeding season, a soft hollow “whoo-oop” repeated from low branches at dawn or late afternoon.

Feeding time is where the scaly ground-roller really shows its personality. It hunts mostly on the ground, rummaging through leaf litter and snapping up invertebrates like earthworms and insects, and it may also take snails, spiders, and small vertebrates such as frogs, tiny chameleons, and lizards. It’s basically a rainforest forager—part listener, part pouncer—often stopping to watch and then striking quickly.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Madagascar

2,500-10,000

Official estimate

VU

2021