Geobiastes squamiger
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The scaly ground roller (Geobiastes squamiger) 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.
Scaly ground rollers grow to between 27 and 31 cm (11 and 12 in). The head is covered with a black and white scaly pattern. It is a copper brown color and has green wings, with white tips. The center of the tail is reddish-brown, and has blue tips and black marks. The underside is pale, with black crescents. Its gray bill is thick and long, and its legs are pink in color.
The diet of the scaly ground roller mostly consists of invertebrates it collects from the ground but it does also eat vertebrates it can find. It has been reported to chiefly eat earthworms (Pheretima sp.) and centipedes (Scolopendra morsitons), but spiders, frogs, lizards (Zonosaurus sp. and Phelsuma sp.), and tenrecs (Microgale sp.) have also been reported to be eaten by the ground roller... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly Ground Roller sighting in Mantadia National Park on a given day, based on 190 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 98 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly Ground Roller in Mantadia National Park on a given day, against about 20% in June and July, the lowest months. That is one of Mantadia National Park's driest months, with about 80 mm of rain against 340 mm in January. January to April have too few records to rate.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scaly Ground 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 2 parks where we can rate Scaly Ground Roller sightings, Mantadia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, about 20%).
Same family: Brachypteraciidae
The closest relatives of the Scaly Ground Roller that you can see in Mantadia National Park (family Brachypteraciidae, Ground-Rollers) are Short-legged Ground Roller (about 40%) and Pitta-like Ground Roller (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scaly Ground Roller is recorded against all the birds logged in Mantadia National Park (190 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.
