- Coracias abyssinica
Coracias abyssinicus
Identification
28-30 cm: Tail streamers 12cm
- Brown back
- Turquoise body
- Blue shoulders
- Dark bill and iris
- Legs and feet are horn-coloured
Sexes are similar
Juvenile is a duller version of the adult and lacks the tail streamers
Distribution
Sub-Saharan Africa: found from Senegambia to Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya; central Arabia
Taxonomy
Monotypic
Habitat
Acacia scub, dry savannah woodland and bushy grassland. Has also adapted to farmland and human habitation.
Behaviour
Performs aerial displays of diving, loop the loops & "rolling".
Diet
The diet includes large insects.
Breeding
It nests in a scantily lined hole in a tree or building, and lays 3-6 eggs.
Vocalisation
The call is a gak sound, or a screeched aaaargh.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Abyssinian Roller. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Abyssinian_Roller
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
