European Roller

Coracias garrulus

Photo by Kite

Identification

It is a bird of warm open country with some trees. The European Roller is a stocky bird, the size of a Jackdaw at 29-32 cm in length with a 52-58 cm wingspan, but it is mainly blue with a warm brown back. Rollers often perch prominently on trees, posts or overhead wires, like giant shrikes, whilst watching for the large insects, lizards and frogs that they eat.

Distribution

Breeds in much of Iberia and southern France, Sardinia, Sicily and parts of Italy, and from Slovenia north to Poland and the Baltic States and east to Kazakstan and south-west Siberia. Occurs throughout Turkey and on Cyprus, in north Syria and and small area of Israel and Jordan, over much Iraq and Iran and east to Kashmir and western China. Also breeds across much of North-West Africa. Has long been in decline over much of range, especially in the north, probably due to climatic changes and habitat loss. Formerly bred in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland and once more widespread in the Middle East.

A summer visitor to breeding range leaving in August-October to winter mainly in East Africa. Return movement in April-May. Frequently overshoots and vagrants recorded north to Iceland, the Faroes and elsewhere in northern Europe, also on the Azores and Madeira, Canaries and Cape Verde Islands. Vagrant to Britain but not recorded annually. The c.240 British Isles records are spread over May-October, mostly May-July with a smaller peak in September, and the majority are in the south and east of England but also north to Shetland and west to Skokholm

Nominate race is found over north of range and slightly paler semenowi from Iraq to China.

Taxonomy

The European Roller, Coracias garrulus, is the only member of the roller family of birds to breed in Europe. Its range extends into western Asia and Morocco. It is a long-distance migrant, wintering in southern Africa.

Habitat

Open pinewoods and edges and clearings in oakwoods, also trees along canals, rivers and roadsides, in cultivated areas with scattered trees, often in steppe and semi-desert in the east of the range.

Behaviour

This species is even more striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blue contrasting with black flight feathers. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult.

Bird Song

<flashmp3>Coracias garrulus (song).mp3</flashmp3>
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External Links

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