Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinicus Scientific name definitions

28–31 cm (with streamers up to 12 cm more); 99·5–140 g (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Head pale blue with white forehead and chin; upperparts brown, with rump, tail-coverts and centre of tail dark blue; tail mostly bright azure-blue, outermost feather greatly elongated into thin black streamer; wings dark blue, including lesser coverts, rest of wing-coverts bright pale azure-blue; entire underparts pale blue, throat to upper breast thinly streaked white. Differs from C. caudatus (with which sympatric in Ethiopia (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ) and, to limited extent in N Uganda) (2 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists’ Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ) in longer tail-streamers and blue throat; from C. garrulus (fairly widespread overlap in boreal winter) in slighter and more agile appearance, shorter neck (in flight silhouette), shorter wings, longer tail, and in purple-blue (not mostly black) remiges. Sexes alike. Juvenile lacks tail-streamers, is duller than adult, with breast and back washed brown (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ), blue parts tinged olive, and purple-blue in wing less clearly differentiated from pale blue (3 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Senegal to Eritrea and E Ethiopia, N to Sahara, and S to edge of rainforest zone in N DRCongo and NW Kenya; occasionally into desert, N to coastal NW Mauritania (Nouadhibou) and NC Sudan (upper R Nile); also SW Arabia (confirmed breeding at least in W Yemen).

Dry woodland with well-spaced trees, pasture, tilled ground, cereal and cassava fields, thorny Acacia savanna, areas around marshes, clearings in woods, roadsides, and burnt shrubland; also rural housing estates, villages, and town parks and suburbs with plenty of vegetation and open space. Also frequents burnt ground (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Recorded to 1500 m in N Uganda (2 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists’ Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ), to 2000 m in Arabia (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ) and to 2430 m in Ethiopia (6 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Mainly resident in Soudanian savanna zone; a breeding wet-season visitor to Sahelian zone N of c. 15° N (e.g. to 18° N in Niger, to 16° N in Chad and 17° N in Ethiopia) (3 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and a mainly non-breeding dry-season visitor to Guinean woodland farther S, e.g. recorded N Liberia in Dec–Mar and in S Liberia only Dec–Feb, with few records in latter region except in Jan (7 Gatter, W. (1997). Birds of Liberia. Pica Press, Aula-Verlag and Yale University Press, Robertsbridge, UK; Wiesbaden, Germany; and New Haven, CT, USA. Close ). Pronounced passage in Gambia in Jan–Mar and Jul–Aug, in S Niger in Aug–Sept (8 Jensen, F.P., Petersen, B.S., Christensen, K.D. and Falk, K. (2007). Northwards post-breeding movements into the Sahel: how widespread is this strategy? Ostrich. 78(2): 370. Close ), and on E shore of L Albert, in Uganda, in Oct–Nov; in N of latter country, a few perhaps present year-round, but mainly present Oct–Mar (2 Carswell, M., D. Pomeroy, J. Reynolds, and H. Tushabe (2005). The Bird Atlas of Uganda. British Ornithologists’ Club and British Ornithologists' Union, Oxford, UK. Close ). SW Arabian population thought to be mainly resident, but records from Farasan Is (Saudi Arabia) and on ship in Red Sea might indicate some movement between Africa and Arabia (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ). Recorded as vagrant in Canary Is (Fuerteventura, Jun and Oct 2014)#R (9 Haas, M. and Ławicki, Ł. (2018). Western Palearctic list updates: Abyssinian Roller. Dutch Birding. 40(2): 104–108. Close ), Libya (Apr 1968), Egypt (May, Sept and Nov) (10 Pfützke, S. and Halley, A. (1995). An Abyssinian Roller in Egypt. Birding World. 8(11): 419. Close , 9 Haas, M. and Ławicki, Ł. (2018). Western Palearctic list updates: Abyssinian Roller. Dutch Birding. 40(2): 104–108. Close ), Morocco (Mar 2005) (11 Bergier, P., J. Franchimont, and M. Thevenot (2011). Les oiseaux rares au Maroc. Rapport de la Commission d’Homologation Marocaine Numéro 16 (2010). Go-South Bulletin 8:1–20. Close ), N Mauritania (Dec 1978, Jan–Mar 1980, Dec 2007, Oct 2017–Mar 2018) (9 Haas, M. and Ławicki, Ł. (2018). Western Palearctic list updates: Abyssinian Roller. Dutch Birding. 40(2): 104–108. Close ), W Saudi Arabia (Jul) (12 Meadows, B. S. (2003). Additional distributional records from the central Hejaz, western Arabia – an addendum to Baldwin & Meadows (1988). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 123(3):154–177. Close ), Somalia (undated) (13 Ash, J. S., and J. E. Miskell (1998). Birds of Somalia. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) and perhaps Socotra (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ) and Angola (although not listed for that country by some authorities) (14 Dean, W. R. J. (2000). The Birds of Angola: An Annotated Check-list. British Ornithologists’ Union Check-list 18. British Ornithologists’ Union, Tring, UK. Close ).

Eats larger insects: crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and alate termites (6 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Forages by watching ground from perch on tree, rooftop or telegraph wire; flies down, glides last few metres, alights by prey, sometimes hops clumsily after it, seizes it in bill, and gulps it down whole, or may fly to elevated perch to dismember it. Catches a few insects on the wing. Gathers in flocks of c. 20 at bush fires or antelope herds to exploit insects that are put up, and sometimes even follows wheatears (Oenanthe spp.) to feed on grasshoppers (3 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

In flight gives an abrupt “rack” or “gak”, typically loud like other rollers, an explosive “aaaarh” lasting 0·5–1 second (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ) when perched, or “aaaaar-aaaaar” in challenging intruder (3 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), while in aerial display the usual flight call is rapidly repeated and prolonged to become a strident “ra-ra-ra-ra-gaa-gaa-gaa-aaaaaar, aaaaaar” (3 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), lasting 2–3 seconds (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

Lays in Feb–Jul, including Arabia (Apr–Jun) (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ), but later (Apr–Oct) (6 Ash, J. S., and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: An Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) in Ethiopia. Monogamous; territorial, advertises territory with aerial display, suddenly plunging down on closed wings, levelling out and flying fast, shrieking and rolling rapidly, sweeping up again and repeating sequence; flies down c. 100 m (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ) at human intruder, veering away at last instant. Birds apparently remain paired all year (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ). Eggs laid on a few bits of bark or vegetable fibres (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ), in small hole in tree (especially baobabs in Burkina Faso (15 Balança, G. and de Visscher, M.N. (1996). Observations sur la reproduction et les déplacements du Rollier d’Abyssinie Coracias abyssinica, du Rollier varié C. naevia et du Rolle africain Eurystomus glaucurus, au nord du Burkina Faso. Malimbus. 18(1): 44–57. Close ) but Dobera glabra in SW Arabia) (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ), palm trunk (e.g. Hyphaene thebaica in Arabia) (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ), termite mound or, commonly, in inhabited building, under eaves or in brickwork cavity, 3–8 m above ground (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Clutch of 3–6 (typically four) (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ) glossy white eggs, size 23·5–31·5 mm × 18·5–26 mm (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); no information on incubation and fledging periods, but one clutch of three all fledged (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Occasionally parasitized by Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) (1 Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban, Editors (1988). The Birds of Africa. Volume 3. Parrots to Woodpeckers. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Widespread, and frequent to common throughout range; locally abundant. Population in SW Arabia might number as many as 2500 pairs, of which two-thirds occur in Yemen (5 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ). Occurs in several national parks, e.g. Djoudj (Senegal), Comoe (Ivory Coast), Waza (Cameroon), Dinder (Sudan), Awash (Ethiopia) and Kabalega Falls (Uganda). Likely to have benefited from the spread of modern agriculture and small-town urbanization. Not known to be persecuted.