First nest description, breeding, ranging and foraging behaviour of the Short‐legged Ground‐Roller Brachypteracias leptosomus in Madagascar

Abstract

The secretive, endemic Short‐legged Ground‐Roller Brachypteracias leptosomus was studied from October 1996 to February 1997 on the Masoala Peninsula, northeast Madagascar. Several vocalizations were associated with contact, courtship feeding and food solicitation. One study pair ranged within an area of 19.1 ha and spent 90% of their time together. They used small trees for foraging and resting, and durations of perch time averaged 9.8 min. Of the 229 identified prey items recorded, 88% were invertebrates and 12% vertebrates. The first described nests for this species were observed in December 1996 and January 1997. The first nest was in a natural tree cavity 18.1 m above the ground in a 133‐cm diameter‐at‐breast height (dbh) Weinmannia sp., and it contained at least one egg. This nest failed on 1 January 1997 when a swarm of Honey Bees Apis mellifera took over the cavity. On 7 January, the pair began excavating another nest 22 m above the ground in a 174‐cm dbh Canarium madagascarense, in the root mass and decayed material of epiphytes and below a 1 ‐m diameter forked branch. Incubation lasted between 22–26 days and the nestling period was 30 days. One young fledged in March 1997.