Leptosomus discolor
Silhouette: Brian Ralphs (photograph) and T. Michael Keesey (silhouette) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The cuckoo-roller or courol (Leptosomus discolor) is the only bird in the family Leptosomidae, which was previously often placed in the order Coraciiformes but is now placed in its own order Leptosomiformes. The cuckoo-roller is at the root of a group that contains the Trogoniformes, Bucerotiformes, Piciformes, and Coraciiformes. Despite its name, the cuckoo-roller does not share close evolutionary origins with cuckoos or rollers, although for long it was counted among the closer relatives of the latter.
It is a medium-large bird, inhabiting forests and woodlands in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Based on its smaller size, differences in the plumage, and minor difference in the voice, the last of these is sometimes considered a separate species, the Comoros cuckoo-roller (L. gracilis).
The cuckoo-roller has a total length of 40–50 cm (16–20 in); the nominate subspecies is the largest, and L. d. gracilis the smallest. Unlike the true rollers and ground rollers, where the sexes have identical appearance... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 4 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
No species of the same family or order lives in Ankarafantsika National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Cuckoo-roller sighting in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, based on 268 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 25th most-seen of the 83 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cuckoo-roller in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, against about 40% in August and December, the lowest months. That is one of Ankarafantsika National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 560 mm in January. January–March and May have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cuckoo-roller sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cuckoo-roller sightings, Ankarafantsika National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 40%) and Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cuckoo-roller is recorded against all the birds logged in Ankarafantsika National Park (268 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
