Other Scientific Names
Coracias spatulata [BirdLife International (2004)], Coracias spatulata [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)], Coracias spatulata [Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993)]
Other Names (World)
Racquet-tailed Roller, Racket-tailed Roller, Weigall's Roller (weigalli)
Racket-tailed Roller (Coracias spatulatus) [XC397991]
by Peter Boesman from Lukusuzi NP, Eastern province, Zambia (call)
Racket-tailed Roller (Coracias spatulatus) [XC520228]
by Lynette Rudman from Panda, Inhambane, Mozambique (?)
Nest
An unlined cavity in a branch or tree trunk.
Subspecies
Affinities uncertain. Possibly closer to Abyssinian Roller (Coracias abyssinicus) than to Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus). Status of subspecies weigalli disputed. Has been thought to be merely half-moulted immature of present species, but other authors regard it as a valid, geographically distinct taxon. The two subspecies evidently hybridize over c. 200-km-wide area from southern Tanzania through Malawi to central Mozambique.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
spatulatus Trimen, 1880 - Western Angola east to western Tanzania and Mozambique (south of R Zambezi).
weigalli Dresser, 1890 - Southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique (north of R Zambezi).