- Coracias benghalensis
Identification
30-34cm (11¾-13¼)
- Brown back
- Lilac breast and face
- Blue crown, wings, tail and belly
- Outer tail feathers are divided into three parts, purplish blue near tip and near rump separated by bright greenish-blue
Sexes are similar
Juvenile is a drabber version of the adult.
Similar species
Indochinese Roller is darker with more purplish-blue on throat and folded wing, but lacking the band near the tip of outer tail feathers.
Distribution
Middle East and Asia:
Middle East: Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran
Asia: Afghanistan,
South Asia: Pakistan, India, Eastern Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. b. benghalensis:
- C. b. indicus:
Indochinese Roller was recently split from Indian Roller.
Habitat
Open country, pasture and stubble, plantations and palm groves.
Behaviour
Diet
Diet includes large insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets and earwigs, beetles, moths and wasps; also smaller reptiles like lizards and frogs.
Vocalisation
Indian Roller, perched on top of hay pile was giving alarm calls; another Indian Roller and one Europen Roller were present nearby; song of Pied Bushchat, and calls of Asian Green Bee-eater, Delicate Prinia and Rufous Treepie, are also heard in the background, in this recording.
Recording by Alok Tewari
Village Mankrola, Gurugram, Haryana, India; 26 September 2023
Breeding
They nest in a lined hole in a tree or building, and lays about 3-5 eggs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- TrekNature
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved April 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Indian Roller. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indian_Roller
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1