Indochinese Roller

Fascinating facts about the Indochinese Roller

• In 1840 Thomas Horsfield formally named the bird Coracias affinis based on specimens collected in Assam by John McClelland.
• A 2018 DNA study showed the Indochinese roller is genetically nearer to the purple-winged roller than to the Indian roller.
• The bird’s plumage includes a blue crown and vent, deep purplish-blue primaries with a pale-blue band, a sky-blue tail tipped with Prussian blue, and a dull-green center.
• The species holds a Least Concern status on the IUCN Red List and spans a range from Nepal and eastern India through Myanmar into Southeast Asia.

About the Indochinese Roller

The Indochinese roller, Coracias affinis, is a strikingly colorful bird with a stocky frame, a blue crown and vent, deep purplish-blue primaries edged with pale blue, a sky-blue tail tipped with Prussian blue and central tail feathers that are dull green. The neck and throat are purplish lilac with white shaft streaks, and a bare ochre patch surrounds the eye. It has a long, compressed bill with a curved upper edge and a hooked tip, a long exposed nostril, and long rictal bristles at the base of the bill. Its three forward toes are united at the base. A 2018 molecular phylogenetic study found that the Indochinese roller is more closely related to the purple-winged roller than to the Indian roller.

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