Scaly Ground-Roller (Geobiastes squamiger)

The scaly ground-roller is a rare flier, only venturing off the ground when needing to cross a river or avoid a predator (5). Instead, it spends most of its time amongst the dense leaf litter of the forest floor, hopping around in search of food. It feeds primarily on centipedes and earthworms, but will also take other invertebrates, such as spiders, snails, beetles and ants, and even small vertebrates, such as geckos, lizards and shrews (2) (5). Nests are made in earth burrows, which are freshly dug each season or appropriated from a past inhabitant, such as a crab or rodent (2) (5). Egg-laying occurs during the dry season from mid-October until early November, when there is ample dry leaf litter to line the nest with. The available evidence suggests that only a single egg is laid, which is incubated exclusively by the female for approximately 18 days. After hatching, the young chick remains in the nest for around 24 days before fledging, during which time both parent birds provide it with food (5).

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