Coracias garrulus
The European Roller is a summer visitor to much of South Africa as well as most of the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, migrating to this part of the world from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. They arrive here from October and depart again from March. Although they migrate in large flocks numbering into the hundreds, European Rollers are usually seen singly or in loose aggregations during our austral summer, inhabiting grasslands, savannas and open woodlands and to an increasing extent coastal heathland in the extreme south. They feed mainly on invertebrates and small vertebrates like chicks, lizards and frogs.
European Rollers breed in the mid-summer in their northern hemisphere abodes, using holes in trees or cliffs as nests in which clutches of 1-7 eggs are incubated by the female for just short of 3 weeks. The chicks start flying when they’re about a month old and remain dependent on their parents for at least another month more. Adults measure around 30cm in length and weigh approximately 120g.
European populations of this Roller has undergone considerable declines in recent years, due to hunting, poisoning and a loss of breeding habitat, though the IUCN still considers it to be of least concern.
DeWetsWild 
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He is such a pretty colour of blue! I love that blue and tan colour together – definitely not one we would see here!
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Some of the colour combinations nature comes up with just doesn’t make sense on paper, and then when you see it in real life it makes so much sense!
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Pretty pastel!
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Gives the European Roller a very “royal” appearance, I think!
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Beautiful birds. I saw a few beauts in S America recently that I will post about soon.
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South America has a rich diversity of exotic birds!
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It’s pretty, but I was hoping to see it roll. 🙂
janet
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They’re far too acrobatic for my photographic skills, Janet! 😀
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🙂
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Beautiful captures of this lovely bird. What colours!
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Thank you very much, Ann-Christine!
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Hartseer dat hulle ook nou gejag word en hul habitat vernietig word. Pragtige foto’s, soos gewoonlik!
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Baie dankie, Dina!
Ek dink vir trekvoels is die vernietiging van hul habitat nogal n komplekse probleem en wonder hoe dit op hul instinkte inwerk wanneer hul terugkom in n gebied, na n vermoeinde reis, waar hulle gewoond was natuurlike habitat was en dan skielik net n vernietiging daar vind.
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Ek wonder ook…miskien pas hulle beter aan as wat mens dink.
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So sad to read about the declining numbers. I love the subtle gradations of blue and turquoise in their colouring that your photos capture so well.
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Thank you, Carol! I was surprised to learn that they’re being threatened in their northern haunts, as they appear to be so common here during our summers. I suppose it is a function of being “crammed” into a relatively small piece of ground at this end of their migration.
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It’s a beautiful bird. It nests in Sweden until 1967, but now it is considered as extinct here.
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That’s so sad, John, as Sweden still seems to have many pristine wilderness areas?
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Yes here is actually much space for animals, but most in the north part, Don’t know why they stop to nest here but have read that they are decreasing in number everywhere.
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We are very fortunate to have such a variety of birds here: a good excuse to travel around the country 🙂
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Absolutely! Bird watching really is a great way to connect with our natural surroundings.
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Beautiful photos of a very beautiful bird. I’ve always loved seeing images of the Lilac-Breasted Roller, the only Roller I’d ever heard of. What a treat to see this new special beauty – thank you for sharing!
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So glad we could introduce you! All told there’s 12 species of rollers in the world, eight of which live in Africa.
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Fascinating… Thanks!
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That’s a colorful bird that we don’t have.
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Indeed, Hien – the rollers are a family of Old World bird species.
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Any relationship to roller canaries, Dries?
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Nope, Tracy, the closest relatives of the rollers are the kingfishers and bee-eaters, and even those relationships are rather distant.
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Thank you for clearing that up, Dries.
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Sien n mens hul baie in die Bosveld? Lyk nie baie bekend nie.
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Met tye kan hulle selfs volopper wees as die Gewone Troupante, Ineke!
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Troupante is ook nie so volop nie. Miskien is dit dat ek nie die regte paaie gery het om hul werklik te sien nie.Eerste troupant wat ek gesien het was in SWA in Ethosha(1977)
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Hulle is darem maar mooi, ne! Ons is gelukkig dat ons al 5 die troupant spesies wat in SA voorkom gesien het, en darem fotos het van 4 van hulle.
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Dis fantasties veral dat jul fotos het van 4. Ek geniet jou natuur uitstappies vreeslik baie. Dankie dat jy steeds volhou en elke keer weer iets nuuts byvoeg.
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Ons waardeer dit net so dat julle almal nog gereeld by ons kuier en gesels, Ineke!
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It is a beauty of a bird–such a gorgeous color.
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Nodding in agreement, Lois!
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