Description
The Cuckoo Roller has a total length of 40–50 cm (16–20 in), with nominate being largest, and L. d. gracilis smallest. Unlike the true rollers and ground rollers, where the sexes have identical appearance, the Cuckoo Roller is sexually dichromatic. Males have a mostly velvety grey chest and head, changing gradually to white on the remaining underparts (demarcation between grey and white stronger in L. d. gracilis). The back, tail, and wing-coverts are dark iridescent green with a purplish tinge (especially on the wing-coverts), and the crown and eye-stripe are black. Females are mostly brown with strongly dark-spotted pale underparts (less spotting in L. d. gracilis). Juveniles are generally reported as resembling a dull female, but at least juveniles of L. d. gracilis are sexually dimorphic, and it is possible this also applies to the other subspecies. The bill is stout and the eyes set far back in the face. The legs and feet are small, and the feet have an unusual structure which has confused many ornithologists, but is now thought to be zygodactylous.
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