European Rollers
The European Rollers
Brief Background
The European Rollers, known in ornithology as Coracias garrulus L, is a bird belonging to the coraciidae family , which is also part of the order coraciiforms. This study covers all the necessary aspects of ornithology in order to understand all the details about birds.
Appearance and Behaviour
Length: 29 cm; wingspan: 230 mm; approximate height: 65 cm; tail: 120 mm; beak: 39 mm. Weight: 140 g.
Golden-brown mantle; wrist, primary and central rectrices black-brown; head, body, and outer rectrices bluish-green; wing coverts blue; black beak and eyes; pale yellowish legs.
The European Roller is the size of a jackdaw, with the appearance of a jay and a sturdy beak. Adorned with vibrant colors, it is one of the jewels of European avifauna, along with the bee-eater. Whether in flight or perched, the blue-green plumage is eye-catching, contrasting with the brown back and the black of the primary feathers. Its call, “rakrakrak,” is uttered boldly.
Food
The roller feasts on tough insects. It also takes lizards, and sometimes even small mammals or young birds.
The European Rollers's voice sample
Reproduction
Upon returning in May, the male performs a dazzling aerial courtship display, after which the pair takes possession of a cavity, an old woodpecker hole, a rock crevice, or a burrow established in a slope. The nesting chamber, sometimes sparsely lined with dry grass and other times left bare, receives 4 to 5 eggs in late May or early June. The eggs have a shiny white background. Average size: 28 x 35 mm; weight: 13 g. Assisted by the male, the female incubates the eggs for 18 days. The young are raised by both adults and leave the nest at around one month old.
The European Rollers’s eggs
Migration
In August and early September, European Rollers migrate to West and Tropical Africa.
Distribution
European Rollers breed in the Camargue, Spain, Italy, the Baltic region, Corsica, Sardinia, North Africa, and extending to Asia.
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A final word
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