Indian Roller
Coracias benghalensis
About This Species
Perches prominently on wires, poles and bare branches over open farmland and scrub, dropping to the ground to snatch insects and small reptiles. Its brilliant blue wings flash vividly in flight, most spectacularly during the tumbling, rolling display flights of the breeding season. It can be found from roadsides at almost any time of day across South Asia and parts of the Middle East.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- It generally tolerates vehicles and observers at a modest distance, so a few metres from a roadside perch is usually enough.
- Be more cautious near a nest hole in a tree or earthen bank, since disturbance there can cause abandonment.
- It is a legally protected species in India, though protections and enforcement differ elsewhere in its range.
NTAvesCoraciiformesCoraciidae
Seasonal Activity
301,896 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Coraciidae
Photo
(c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning
CC-BY-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.