How to dive-bomb and Lilac-breasted Rollers
They're the national bird of Kenya, and they are utterly beautiful. This week, we are learning about the Lilac-Breasted Roller.
Quick Facts:
Scientific name: Coracias caudatus
Geographic location: Sub-Saharan Africa
Distinguishing feature: Bright aqua and blue feathers with deep lilac breast.
Conservation status: Not Threatened
Lilac-breasted rollers are members of the roller family, well-known for their remarkable flight patterns during courtship. A male, perched at the top of a tree, will dive and swoop whilst making loud caws to attract a females attention.
Lilac-breasted Rollers are easily recognised by their bright plumage and juveniles can be identified by their lack of a large dark blue tail feather. They will eat a wide variety of small vertebrates, such as beetles, spiders and snail, and in some cases, even smaller birds. As perch hunters they are remarkable successful at making the best of a bad situation, and can catch vulnerable prey caught in grassfires due to their high vantage point.
Watch a pair interact in the wild and hear how their calls to each other. (And count how many times the guy says 'pretty'!)
In Australia, the national bird is the emu! What is the national bird where you're from?
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