Rollers
The Rollers occur in the warmer areas of the Old World (Europa, Asia, and Africa).
These crow-size birds have a colorful, mostly blue and brown plumage. Their two inner front toes are connected, but not the outer one.
They mostly feed on insects, usually catching them in mid-air. They were named for the aerial acrobatics they perform when hunting insects.
They usually nest in tree cavities. The average nest consists of 2 – 4 eggs.
The eleven species are:
Genus Coracias
- European Rollers Coracias garrulus
- Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinica
- Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata : The Lilac-breasted Roller is a member of the roller family of birds
- Racquet-tailed Roller Coracias spatulata
- Rufous-crowned Roller Coracias naevius
- Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
- Temminck’s Roller Coracias temminckii
- Blue-bellied Roller Coracias cyanogaster
Genus Eurystomus: Eurystomus is a genus of the roller family of birds. It contains four broad-billed species, which breeds in Africa, Asia and Australasia.
- Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus
- Blue-throated Roller Eurystomus gularis
- Azure Roller Eurystomus azureus
- Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis : AKA Broad-billed Roller: The Dollar Roller was named for the silver-dollar sized spots on its wings. It has a length of up to 30cm, and can be found in East Asia, from northern Australia to the Japanese archipelago.The bird is an insectivore with a love of beetles and often catches prey whilst flying. Juveniles have a darker beak which becomes more orange as it becomes mature.
