Purple Roller
Coracias naevius
A bulky roller that is mostly dull purple-cinnamon in color; it is flecked with many fine white streaks and has a bold white eyebrow. It exposes colorful blue wings and tail while performing an acrobatic rolling flight display. Singles and pairs sit conspicuously in open savanna, preferring thornveld and drier woodlands. It perches on exposed snags and swoops to the ground to hunt large invertebrates and small vertebrates. A partial resident, it also enganges in complicated seasonal movements in parts of its range. The similarly-plumaged Broad-billed Roller is smaller, has a bright yellow (not dark) bill, and prefers moister habitats.
Identification
The purple roller is the largest of the rollers, growing to a length of 35 to 40 cm (14 to 16 in). Adults weigh from 145 to 200 g (5.1 to 7.1 oz) with an average weight of 168 g (5.9 oz). From a distance it appears a dull brownish bird with a white stripe over the eye, a patch of white on the nape and a dark tail. Northern populations tend to have a rufus crown while southern populations have a more olive-green crown. The underparts are purplish-pink streaked with white. The wings are long and rounded while the tail is square-cut. The voice is a rather grating "ka" or "gaa", repeated rapidly and evenly.
Taxonomy
The purple roller was formally described in 1800 by the French zoologist François Marie Daudin under the binomial name Coracias naevia. Daudin's description was based on a specimen collected in Senegal. The specific epithet is from Latin naevius meaning "spotted" or "marked". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the purple roller was most closely related to the racket-tailed roller (Coracias spatulatus).<p>The phylogenetic relationships among the Coracias species are shown below, from the molecular study by Johansson et al. (2018)<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Coracias naevius
- Authority
- Daudin, 1800
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Coraciidae
- Genus
- Coracias
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Its preferred habitat is dry thornveld where it spends long periods perched at the top of thorn trees or poles, watching for food items such as insects, spiders, scorpions and small lizards on the ground. It rocks to-and-fro about its longitudinal axis during display flights, calling raucously all the while; starting from above the treetops it plummets towards the ground in rolling flight. It is territorial, and during the breeding season will drive off other rollers, small hawks and crows.<p>This species seems to be an opportunist breeder, possibly linked to rains, as its breeding season varies from place to place. It nests in natural hollows in trees or uses old woodpecker holes, or in cliffs, riverbanks, pipes, or holes in masonry, usually laying three white eggs. The young are fed and incubated by both parents.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-throated Swallow
Hirundo albigularis
A swallow with a small rufous patch on the forehead and a diagnostic complete steel-blue breast band which forms a white throat patch. This migrant breeds in South Africa in the Austral summer, September to April, and spends the non-breeding period (May to August) in south-central Africa. It prefers foraging in pairs or groups, sometimes with other swallow species, in grassland, light woodland, and floodplains, and is often seen perching on fences or on posts near water.
White-backed Thrush
Turdus kessleri
Large, boldly-marked thrush of high-altitude open meadows, steppelands, and gardens in central China. Male is dashingly colored with an ivory-white back and breast, a brick-orange belly, and jet-black wings and head. Female is dirt-brown overall with darker wings and a hint of the male’s pale back and breast. Similar to Chestnut Thrush, but Chestnut Thrush prefers more forested habitats and lacks pale patches on the body.
Brown-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant
Hemitriccus obsoletus
Tiny flycatcher found in the understory of forests with bamboo. Plain olive-brown above and pale buff below. Note the buff spot in front of the eye. The similar Drab-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant has a white (not buff) spot in front of the eye and occurs at lower elevations than the Brown-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant. The song is series of “tic-tic-tic” notes.
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