African Wildlife andEnvironment Issue 71

BIRDING

LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER

The colour combination in the plumage of the unique Lilac-breasted Roller would be considered outrageous among designers of ladies’ clothing, mixing as it does glossy olive green, brown, rufous, dark blue, dusky blue and lilac.

The Late Willie Froneman

T hese attractive birds are usually seen conspicuously perched on a dead branch, observing and watching for prey on the ground. When prey is detected it is pounced upon with wings and tail spread, and it is at this moment that the roller displays its wonderful array of colours. The Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus (R447, ‘Gewone Troupant’ in Afrikaans) is endemic to Africa. Its range is from Eritrea south through East Africa, west to Angola and south to South Africa. It occurs in several dry woodland types, provided there are some open areas that these birds can watch from a perch. Prey items taken on the ground are often taken back to the perch, where the victim may be beaten against the perch before being turned and swallowed. This is the only roller with a lilac throat and breast, with a blue belly. The forehead and supercilium is white, the crown and nape are glossy olive green, grading into a darker brown back, scapulars and tertials. The ear coverts are rufous, the rump is dark blue. The chin is white, throat and breast lilac, with white shaft streaks most prominent on throat. The remainder of the underparts are azure. The lesser coverts are dark blue, the remainder of upper wing coverts bluish, but primary coverts are a brighter azure, with the longest alula feathers contrastingly dark blue. Remiges have the proximal part azure, distal half with black inner webs and dark purple-blue outer webs. The underwing is pale azure, the distal half of primaries dark blue. The bill is blackish, eyes sepia brown, legs and feet yellowish to olive green. In the tail, the central rectrices are dusky blue olive, with the outermost rectrices up to 80 mm long, forming black elongated streamers. The juveniles are similar to the adults, but duller, with the supercilium pale and less distinct, crown and nape washed brownish, throat and breast buffy pink, with broader white streak less sharply demarcated. Outermost rectrices shorter than remainder of tail which is tipped dull greyish-green.

Photographs: Albert Froneman

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