Blue-bellied roller
| Blue-bellied roller | |
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| Pair in The Gambia | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Coraciiformes |
| Family: | Coraciidae |
| Genus: | Coracias |
| Species: | C. cyanogaster
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| Binomial name | |
| Coracias cyanogaster Cuvier, 1816
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| Geographic distribution shown in green | |
The blue-bellied roller (Coracias cyanogaster) is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across Africa in a narrow belt from Senegal to northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is resident, apart from some local seasonal movements, in mature moist savannah dominated by Isoberlinia trees.
Taxonomy
The blue-bellied roller was given the
The phylogenetic relationships among the Coracias species are shown below, from the molecular study by Johansson et al. (2018)[7]
| Coracias |
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Description
The blue-bellied roller is a large bird, nearly the size of a jackdaw at 28–30 cm (11–12 in). It has a very dark brown back, buffy or chalky white head, neck and breast, with the rest of the plumage mainly blue. Adults have 6 cm (2.4 in) tail streamers. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult.[8]
The blue-bellied roller is striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blues of the wings contrasting with the dark back and cream colored head, and the tail streamers trailing behind.[8]
The call of blue-bellied roller is a harsh clicking ga-ga-ga sound.[8]
Distribution and habitat
This is a common bird of warm open country with some trees. These rollers often perch prominently on trees, posts, or overhead wires, like giant shrikes, whilst watching for the grasshoppers and other large insects on which they feed.
Behaviour and ecology
The display of this bird is a lapwing-like display, with the twists and turns that give this species its English name. It nests in a hole in a tree - a tree cavity.
Status
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the blue-bellied roller is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.[1]
In captivity
The blue-bellied roller is kept in some zoos, open air aviaries and similar educational facilities. There are instances of the bird escaping captivity and adjusting to the local environment. In Nepalganj area of Joka, Kolkata, two blue-bellied rollers have been spotted since May 2023 that have adapted to the local environment.[9][10]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-9568611-1-5.
- ^ a b Levaillant, François (1806). Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers : suivie de celle des toucans et des barbus (in French). Vol. Tome Premier. Paris: Chez Denné le jeune, Perlet. pp. 78–79 Plate 26.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 244.
- Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2021). "Rollers, ground rollers, kingfishers". IOC World Bird List Version 11.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- S2CID 5011292.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7136-8028-7.
- ^ Niyogi, S. (2023). "W African bird spotted 8k km away in Baruipur". Times of India. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Datta, R. (2023). "African cousin of Durga's Neelkontho bird set to call Kolkata home". The Telegraph India. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
External links
Media related to Coracias cyanogaster at Wikimedia Commons