Azure Roller Eurystomus azureus Scientific name definitions

27–35 cm. Plumage entirely dark glossy purple-blue or inky-blue, apart from conspicuous pale azure and white wing patches above and below  ; powerful bill deep and very broad at base  , hook-tipped, scarlet; orbital ring  and legs dark red  . Differs from smaller and shorter-tailed (1 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) E. orientalis in overall inky-purple plumage without green tones. Sexes alike. Juvenile dull sooty-blackish, with little purple tinge, no pale throat-streaking (1 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), less obvious pale patches in wings (lacking any suggestion of white) (1 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), bill greyish black with horn-yellow base, legs dusky orange.

Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore, Kasiruta and Bacan (N Moluccas).

Primary and selectively logged forest, forest edge and clearings, with occasional records in coconut groves and gardens not far from forest; noted from lowlands up to 465 m (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ) on Kasiruta, and up to 600 m on Halmahera .

No information.

Hawks insects, including buprestid beetles (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), evidently much in same style as E. orientalis.

Undescribed in the literature (1 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but harsh, slightly grating calls  , given in a steady series, have been recorded.

Virtually unknown, but nesting perhaps occurs mainly in first half of year: juvenile female collected early Apr and adult male in breeding condition collected May, while many observations in Jul–Sept involved family groups (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). No further details known.

Not considered threatened, although it was formerly listed as Vulnerable. Currently considered Near Threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Northern Maluku EBA. As species was often treated as a race of E. orientalis, its status had not been properly investigated. Always considered uncommon, but now definitely appears to be rare, with total population estimated at just 2500–10,000 birds (or 1500–7000 mature individuals) and decreasing. In 1980–1985, total of nine specimens reported to have been collected in N Halmahera, mostly near Tobala, by a student of ethnography; during many protracted visits to Halmahera in 1983–1989, however, only three birds seen, near Peot, Sidangoli and Domato, and by 1990s it was considered generally uncommon, even at Tanah Putih, where the species was readily found in earlier years (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Not recorded on Ternate since 1945, and may be extinct there, for by 1989 its forest habitat had been reduced to relicts on upper slopes of the volcano; status on Bacan, Kasiruta and Tidore not known, but species is considered widespread on the first-named island (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), and specific records from the latter two have not been traced (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Despite limited presence in semi-open areas of forest, species does not seem to adapt well to heavy degradation of habitat, and is apparently being replaced in open areas of cultivation by E. orientalis. In early 1990s, it was calculated that Halmahera retained forest cover over c. 90% of its surface, but latterly exploitation of forest has taken off, and timber concessions have now been granted for most of the remaining areas of forest; also, increased transmigration, settlement and conversion for agriculture or mining have become major threats to the survival of the forest and of present species. Within species' range, only one protected area exists at present, Gunung Sibela Reserve, Bacan (100 km²) (2 Collar, N. J., A. V. Andreev, S. Chan, M. J. Crosby, S. Subramanya, and J. A. Tobias, Editors (2001). Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ), and this faces significant threats from agriculture and gold mining; on Halmahera, Lalobata/Ake Tajawe National Park (167,300 ha) has recently been declared and another, Gunung Gamkonora, has been proposed. Surveys required to establish true size of population; also reserves need to be established, in order to provide adequate protection for the species and its habitat.