European Roller
Coracias garrulus
Aves › Coraciiformes › Coraciidae › Coracias
Conservation status: least_concern
This medium-sized Old World bird has brightly coloured plumage and a hooked bill. It hunts by perching prominently on structures while watching for prey such as large insects, small reptiles, rodents, and frogs.
How To Identify
Medium-sized rollers are instantly identifiable by their dazzling plumage; males sport brilliant shades of blue, turquoise, and chestnut across the wings and body.
Habitat
It inhabits open woodlands, grasslands, and cultivated areas with scattered trees across southern and central Europe, western Asia, and Africa.
Behaviour
European Rollers are sit-and-wait hunters that perch prominently on trees, posts, or wires before diving to catch insects and small vertebrates on the ground.
Native Range
Its range extends into the Maghreb, West Asia and Central Asia.
Did You Know?
The European Roller performs spectacular aerial acrobatics during courtship and territorial displays, rolling and tumbling through the air with remarkable agility. Its name derives from these dramatic rolling flight maneuvers.
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