Editing European roller (section)

== Taxonomy and systematics ==
The European roller was [[Species description|formally described]] by the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758 in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' under its current the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Coracias garrulus''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=C. |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |year=1758 |title=Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |volume=1 |edition=10th |page=107 |publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) |language=Latin |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727012}}</ref> The [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] is Sweden.<ref>{{cite book |author=Peters, J. L. | editor-link=James L. Peters | year=1945 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World |volume=5 |publisher=Harvard University Press |place=Cambridge, Massachusetts |page=242 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14480253}}</ref> The generic name derives from Greek ''korakias'' referring to a type of [[corvid]], perhaps the [[red-billed chough]]. The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific epithet]] ''garrulus'' is from [[Latin]] and means 'chattering' in reference to the bird’s calls.<ref>{{cite book |title=A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood |author=Bewick, T. |date=1809 |place=Newcastle |publisher=Edward Walker, for T. Bewick |chapter=The Roller |pages=116–117 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/historyofbritish00bewi/page/n121/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jobling |first=J. A. |year=2010 |title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 |pages=117, 171}}</ref> Alternate English names include the '''blue roller''', '''common roller''', '''Eurasian roller''', or simply '''roller'''.<ref name=hbw>{{cite book |last=Fry |first=H. |year=2001 |chapter=European Roller (''Coracius garrulus'' |editor1=del Hoyo, J. |editor2=Elliott, A. |editor3=Sargatal, J. |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=((6: Mousebirds to Hornbills)) |place=Barcelona, Spain |publisher=Lynx Edicions |isbn=978-84-87334-30-6 |page=373 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/handbookofbirdso0006unse/page/373/mode/1up |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref>

A [[molecular phylogenetic]] study published in 2018 found that the European roller was most closely related to the [[Abyssinian roller]] (''Coracias abyssinicus'').<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johansson |first1=U. S. |last2=Irestedt |first2=M. |last3=Qu |first3=Y. |last4=Ericson |first4=P. G. P. |date=2018 |title=Phylogenetic relationships of rollers (Coraciidae) based on complete mitochondrial genomes and fifteen nuclear genes |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=126 |pages=17–22 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2018.03.030 |pmid=29631051 |bibcode=2018MolPE.126...17J |s2cid=5011292}}</ref>

{{Phylogeny/Coracias}}

The [[Coraciidae|roller]]s are medium-sized Old World birds of open woodland habitats. They have brightly coloured plumage and a hooked bill. Most species are found south of the [[Sahara]]. The genus ''[[Coracias]]'' contains eight species of sit-and-wait hunters. The European roller is similar in appearance and behaviour to the [[Abyssinian roller]]. These two birds and the [[lilac-breasted roller]] have been considered to form [[subspecies]].<ref name = hbwonlinefam>{{cite book |editor=Hoyo, J. del| editor2=Elliott, A. |editor3=Sargatal, J. |editor4=Christie, D. A. |chapter=Coraciidae |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive |url=http://www.hbw.com/family/rollers-coraciidae |publisher=Lynx Edicions |place=Barcelona, Spain |access-date=10 September 2013}} {{Subscription required}}</ref>

Two [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=F. |editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) |editor2-last=Donsker |editor2-first=D. |editor3-last=Rasmussen |editor3-first=P. |editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen |date=2021 |title=Rollers, ground rollers, kingfishers |work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/rollers/ |publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=24 April 2021}}</ref><ref name=hbwonline>{{cite web| editor=Del Hoyo, J. |editor2=Elliott, A. |editor3=Sargatal, J. |editor4=Christie, D. A. |title=European Roller |work=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive |url=http://www.hbw.com/species/european-roller-coracias-garrulus |publisher=Lynx Edicions |access-date=23 November 2013}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
* '''Western European roller''' (''C. g. garrulus'') <small>[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758</small>: The [[Subspecies#Nominotypical subspecies and subspecies autonyms|nominate subspecies]]. Found in north-western Africa, southern Europe and east through north-western Iran to south-western [[Siberia]].<ref name= Fry/>
* '''Eastern European roller''' (''C. g. semenowi'') <small>[[Harald von Loudon|Loudon]] & [[Viktor von Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen|Tschusi]], 1902</small>:<ref name= loudon>{{cite journal |last1=Loudon |first1= H. v. F. |last2 =Von Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen |first2=V. |year=1902 |title=''Coracias garrulus semenowi'' Loudon & Tschusi ''nov. Subsp.'' |journal=Ornithologisches Jahrbuch |volume=13 |pages=148–150 |language=de|issue=3,4}}</ref> It is also called '''Kashmir roller''' and lives in Iraq and southern Iran east through [[Kashmir]] and southern Kazakhstan to [[Xinjiang]] in western China.<ref name= Fry>Fry et al. (1992) pp. 298–300.</ref>