Birds · Coraciiformes · Coraciidae

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

It owes its English name to its spectacular courtship flight, a series of acrobatic rolls and tumbling dives worthy of a circus act.

Weight

up to 140 g

Size

29 cm – 32 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaTemperate forestCarnivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Savanna Temperate forest

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Fun facts

It is the only member of its family (Coraciidae) that breeds in Europe.
It feeds on large insects, plus small reptiles, rodents and frogs taken from a high perch.
It winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Warm, dry, open country with scattered trees across southern and eastern Europe, western Asia and North Africa; it winters in sub-Saharan Africa
Birth weight: Weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Born blind and naked
Sexual maturity: 1 year
Gestation / incubation: 18-19 days
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 6 eggs per clutch

Sources consulted: BirdBuddy Wiki; Birda (identification); AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animalia.bio; Wikipedia (European roller); Birds of the World; BirdLife DataZone; PMC (genetic diversity Serbia study)