Rollers (Coraciidae)

Dollarbird (Eurystomus orientalis) - HBW 6, p. 375

French: Rolle oriental German: Dollarvogel Spanish: Carraca Oriental
Other common names: Red-billed Roller, (Eastern) Broad-billed Roller

Taxonomy: Coracias orientalis Linnaeus, 1766, Java.
Forms a superspecies with E. azureus, with which has sometimes been treated as conspecific; breeding record of present species from Loloda Is (off NW Halmahera, and almost sympatric with range of E. azureus) provides additional support for their treatment as two separate species. Taxonomy and nomenclature somewhat confused, especially for continental Asian forms: nominate and race calonyx intergrade in areas of S China and N Indochina, and intermediate birds from N Thailand have sometimes been placed in race deignani; proposed race latouchei from NE China considered inseparable from calonyx; cyanocollis is synonym of nominate, abundus is synonym of calonyx; Wallacean birds from S Sulawesi and Lesser Sundas, described as race connectens, appear intermediate between orientalis and pacificus but variable, with some individuals inseparable from latter; in past, birds of NW Australia occasionally separated as race bravi. Ten subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

calonyx Sharpe, 1890 - N India (Garhwal, N Assam, N Cachar) and Nepal to E China (N to Manchuria), SE Russian Far East (to lower R Amur) and Japan (Honshu to Kyushu); winters S to S Asia and Greater Sundas.
orientalis (Linnaeus, 1766) - NE India (S Assam), Myanmar and Indochina S to Greater Sundas, Philippines and Ryukyu Is, with single breeding record (probably this race) from Dagasuli in Loloda Is (off NW Halmahera, N Moluccas); winters S and E to N Sulawesi and Moluccas.
laetior Sharpe, 1890 - SW India (Western Ghats S into Kerala).

See all 10 subspecies

calonyx Sharpe, 1890 - N India (Garhwal, N Assam, N Cachar) and Nepal to E China (N to Manchuria), SE Russian Far East (to lower R Amur) and Japan (Honshu to Kyushu); winters S to S Asia and Greater Sundas.
orientalis (Linnaeus, 1766) - NE India (S Assam), Myanmar and Indochina S to Greater Sundas, Philippines and Ryukyu Is, with single breeding record (probably this race) from Dagasuli in Loloda Is (off NW Halmahera, N Moluccas); winters S and E to N Sulawesi and Moluccas.
laetior Sharpe, 1890 - SW India (Western Ghats S into Kerala).
irisi Deraniyagala, 1950 - SC Sri Lanka.
gigas Stresemann, 1913 - S Andaman Is.
oberholseri Junge, 1936 - Simeulue I, off NW Sumatra.
waigiouensis Elliot, 1871 - New Guinea, including Karkar, Bagabag, Western Papuan Is, Yapen, Rook, Trobriand Is, D’Entrecasteaux and Louisiade Archipelagos.
crassirostris P. L. Sclater, 1869 - Bismarck Archipelago.
solomonensis Sharpe, 1890 - Solomon Is (Bougainville, Buka, Feni, Guadalcanal, Ulawa, Uki and San Cristobal, probably also Nissan I).
pacificus (Latham, 1801) - Lesser Sundas and N & E Australia, probably also S Sulawesi and Sula Is; S populations winter N to New Guinea and Wallacea.