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14

European Roller (Coracias garrulus) Alternate name(s): "Eurasian Roller", "Roller" Size: 29-32 cm; wing span 52-58 cm Weight: 125-160 g

Oman: Family Group 14 Family Group 14 Table Common Swift Pallid Swift Collared Kingfisher Common Kingfisher Pied Kingfisher Green Bee-eater Little Bee-eater Blue-cheeked Bee-eater European Roller Indian Roller Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description European Rollers are relatively small rollers. Apart from some buff to creamy feathers on lores and chin, their large head, neck and front are all turquoise, with the head and neck a brighter hue than the chest, belly and vent. Also the frontal part of the wings is turquoise, with a blue shoulder patch. The back is rufous to brown, while the rump is turquoise and the uppertail is dark-grey. In flight one can see the black-tipped flight feathers and blue to turquoise upperwing coverts. The irises are brown. The long, strong and slightly hooked bill is dark-grey, with a brownish-grey base. The legs and feet are also brownish-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See European Roller at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the European Roller is available HERE . There are two races of European Rollers, both of which are strongly migratory. Both races spend the winters in sub-Saharan Africa. Nominate race "garrulus" breeds around the western Mediterranean, in parts of south-eastern Europe, in Asia Minor and north-western Iran. They migrate to an area of Africa from Senegal in the West to Cameroon in the East. Race "semenowi" breeds in Iraq and the rest of Iran, and eastwards from there into parts of central Asia, up to North-west China. This race spends the winters in the area from Congo in the West to Ethiopia in the East and southwards from there to South Africa. Recent tracking research suggests parallel migration, with birds breeding in the western part of their range also preferring winter grounds in western Africa, while eastern breeders migrate to eastern Africa. In passage between East Africa and Asia, European Rollers, race "semenowi", can be found in large parts of Arabia, including the northern near-coastal fringe of Oman. We found European Rollers in acacia-dominated semi-arid areas and wasteland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "semenowi" We first spotted European Rollers, race "semenowi", on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in April 2010. During the winter months they had been absent from the area. Race "garrulus" European Rollers, nominate race "garrulus", were spotted by us in Europe.

Photos

Race "semenowi"

This race is also called the "Eastern European Roller" or the "Kashmir Roller".

ADULT

Sex unknown

Distant near-frontal view of a European Roller looking sideways from its perch, ontop of an acacia shrub; note the turquoise overall appearance, which is different from that of an Indian Roller
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a European Roller looking back at the observer
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a European Roller looking sideways
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Distant lateral view of a European Roller in flight
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Race "garrulus"

This race is also called the "Western European Roller".

Photos of European Rollers, nominate race "garrulus", are shown HERE.

Food, Diet

Like all other members of the roller family, European Rollers feed on large insects that they catch in flight or take from the ground and on small reptiles that they take from the ground.

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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