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roller
roller common name for brightly colored Old World birds noted for performing somersaults in flight. They include the rollers proper (subfamily Coraciinae ) and ground rollers (subfamily Brachypteraciinae ) of the family Coraciidae, as well as the monotypic cuckoo roller ( Leptostomus discolor ) of another family, Leptostomatidae. The rollers comprise approximately a dozen species of solitary, jaylike birds, widespread throughout the tropical and temperate areas of the Old World. They are stout-bodied and large-headed birds, ranging from 9 1/2 to 13 in. (24-33 cm) long, with long, straight beaks that end in hooked tips. Their colors run to greens, blues, and reddish or yellowish browns, with little distinction between sexes. Rollers are strong flyers and feed while on the wing, usually on insects and small birds but occasionally on fruit. They lay their three to six white eggs in tree or rock holes, to which they add bits of grass, straw, or feathers. The slightly smaller tropical broad-billed rollers (genus Eurystomas ) do not actually tumble or roll in flight. The five species of ground rollers are confined to the island of Madagascar. They differ from the true rollers in being ground feeders and thus show the expected adaptations of this way of life: longer and stouter legs; shorter, more rounded wings; and less bright but more cryptic coloration. Four species inhabit the forest floor, and one, the 18-in.-long (46-cm) Uratelornis chimaera, dwells in arid scrub. Ground rollers feed on insects and small animals and build their hole nests in the ground. The cuckoo roller is also found on Madagascar, as well as on the nearby islands of Comoros and Mayotte. It is about 17 in. (43 cm) in length and somewhat resembles the cuckoo in its coloration and its crested head. It differs from all other rollers in the possession of an outer toe capable of being turned backwards and a bill overhung with large tufts of feathers. A creature of forest and brushland, it feeds on large insects and lizards and lays its eggs in a tree-hole nest. Rollers are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Coraciiformes, families Coraciidae and Leptostomatidae. |
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"roller." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "roller." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-roller.html "roller." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-roller.html |
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roller
roll·er / ˈrōlər/ • n. 1. a cylinder that rotates around a central axis and is used in various machines and devices to move, flatten, or spread something. ∎ an absorbent revolving cylinder attached to a handle, used to apply paint. ∎ a small cylinder on which hair is rolled in order to produce curls. ∎ a long swelling wave that appears to roll steadily toward the shore. ∎ [as adj.] of, relating to, or involving roller skates. 2. a brightly colored crow-sized bird (genera Coracias and Eurystomus, family Coraciidae) with predominantly blue plumage, having a characteristic tumbling display flight. 3. a bird of a breed of canary with a trilling song. |
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"roller." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "roller." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-roller.html "roller." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-roller.html |
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roller
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"roller." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "roller." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-roller.html "roller." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-roller.html |
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roller
roller2 bird with brilliant plumage. XVII. — G. roller, f. rollen — (O)F. rouler ROLL2; perh. so called from its cry.
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T. F. HOAD. "roller." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "roller." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-roller.html T. F. HOAD. "roller." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-roller.html |
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roller
roller •beguiler, compiler, Delilah, filer, Isla, miler, reviler, smiler, styler, tiler, Tyler
•idler
•stifler, trifler
•recycler • Kreisler • profiler
•stockpiler • freestyler • Rottweiler
•ayatollah, choler, collar, corolla, dollar, dolour (US dolor), Hezbollah, holler, scholar, squalor, wallah, Waller, white-collar
•cobbler, gobbler
•Doppler, poplar
•ostler
•brawler, caller, crawler, drawler, faller, forestaller, hauler, installer, mauler, Paula, stonewaller, trawler
•warbler • dawdler • footballer
•reed-warbler
•fowler, growler, howler, prowler, scowler
•Angola, barbola, bipolar, bowler, bronchiolar, canola, carambola, circumpolar, coaler, Coca-Cola, cola, comptroller, consoler, controller, Ebola, eidola, extoller, Finola, Gorgonzola, granola, Hispaniola, kola, Lola, lunisolar, mandola, molar, multipolar, Ndola, patroller, payola, pianola, polar, roller, Savonarola, scagliola, scroller, sola, solar, stroller, tombola, Tortola, troller, Vignola, viola, Zola
•ogler
•teetotaller (US teetotaler)
•potholer • steamroller • logroller
•roadroller
•boiler, broiler, Euler, oiler, spoiler, toiler
•potboiler
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Cite this article
"roller." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "roller." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-roller.html "roller." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-roller.html |
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