Reproduction
The breeding season coincides with the rainy season, which lasts from October to January. During the breeding season this species abandons its solitary habits to find a mate, with which it remains monogamous. Males form territories during the breeding season, and they defend their area with territorial calls. These calls are given from a perch up to 6 meters (20 ft) off the ground for an hour after sunrise and occasionally throughout the day and night. During courtship, males have been observed feeding the female.
Male and female Long-tailed Ground Rollers use both their bill and feet to excavate a burrow in consolidated, flat sand and construct their nest at the end of it. The burrow, always constructed away from grassy vegetation, is downward-sloping and is between 0.8 and 1.2 meters (2.6 and 3.9 ft) long with a diameter of 8 centimeters (3.1 in). The end of the burrow widens into a 20-centimeter (7.9 in) wide chamber with a shallow floor covered in dry leaves and earthy pellets. When digging its nest, the Long-tailed Ground Roller occasionally walks underneath a low branch, tilts its head upwards, and, while remaining motionless, releases a rising crescendo of its "tu-tuc" calls. At the height of the crescendo the bird breaks off its call and flies upwards onto the branch while producing a "ripping and crackling sound" with its wingbeats. From the perch the bird releases a stream of "boo" notes. It is believed that this display is part of a courtship ritual. Each pair digs one to six nesting burrows during the breeding season, with the extra burrows being known as speculative burrows.
Between October and January, and peaking in November, the species lays two to four smooth, white eggs, normally two. The incubation period and fledging time of this ground roller is unknown. After the young fledge, they still live in a family group of four to five birds until approximately February, at which point the family disperses.
Read more about this topic: Long-tailed Ground Roller, Ecology and Behavior
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