The lilac-breasted roller is one of the most beautiful birds in the world with its pastel plumage, striking field marks, and long-tail streamers.
We have distracted our attention from the most magical things about springtime because of the worldwide pandemic. The season’s highlights were strolling through flower gardens and bird watching and now we’re in summer. The colors of spring are always mesmerizing with the weather turning warmer each day. In that season the bright, lively little birds reveal themselves in exquisite style.
The lilac-breasted roller which is often considered one of the most beautiful birds in the world with its pastel plumage, striking field marks, and long tail streamers. This bird is the national bird of both Kenya and Botswana which is belong to the Coraciidae bird family and is one of its most colorful members. The lilac-breasted roller you won’t find it hard to spot it. Kruger Park reports that it is mostly found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Both males and females are similar with their creamy white buff faces and the dark lines on their eyes. With the iconic feature being their multi-colored features, there are some prominent bristles at the base of the thick, black bill. You can see a lilac shade with some superb hue variation and darker shades accompanying their lower bodies. There are some faint thin white vertical streaks and a light blue leading edge and wingpit in the throats and upper breasts. This contrasts starkly with dark blue primary and secondary features with a greenish-yellow shade over their legs and feet.
Their really harsh, raspy call lasts for less than a second but might be quickly repeated. Their pitch will not usually vary, and the tone has a rattling sound, and it is rather surprising to hear by looking at the bird and it’s not a slow and lulling tune. According to eBird, they are mostly the silent type and observing and flying around. They are only extra vocal during the breeding season in cases where they feel their territory is threatened.
Here’s a #lockdown challenge for all you birdwatching enthusiasts.
— Matthew Stadlen (@MatthewStadlen) April 20, 2020
Reply with one of the BIRD photographs you are proudest of having taken in your life.
Let’s spread some more beauty!
This is one of mine – a Lilac-breasted Roller catching the evening sun pic.twitter.com/mdpvYxC56l
These beautiful birds tend to be somewhat nomadic in search of the best food sources across different seasons in times of drought and don’t typically migrate. They are common found and widespread throughout much of southern Africa, south of the Congo River basin but extending as far north as Ethiopia in the eastern parts of the continent. They are not in coastal areas of southwestern Africa. There are also vagrant sightings that are regularly recorded in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, and mainly in Oman and Yemen.
They can be alone or in pairs or sometimes in groups of three. It’s only during the winter months that the flock usually gets a bit bigger as small families will fly together. The lilac-breasted are famous for their acrobatic and agile flight technique where their tail streamers help them at as rudders while flying. These birds are considered to be carnivorous birds that eat a wide range of small prey, such as insects, lizards, scorpions, snails, amphibians, rodents, and even small birds.
