MyKrugerHoliday
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
Lilac-breasted Roller
Gewone Troupant · Coracias caudatus
This dazzling little bird looks like a flying rainbow, with a lilac throat and chest, turquoise belly, and bright blue wings that flash in flight. It perches on bare branches and fence posts, scanning the ground for insects, lizards, and scorpions, then swoops down to grab them. Its name comes from the rolling, tumbling display it performs while flying.
Log your Lilac-breasted Roller sighting — free →How to identify it
Look for the lilac (pale purple) throat and breast above a bright turquoise belly while it perches on an exposed branch.
Listen for its call
Harsh, grating "zaaak" squawks — loudest during its tumbling display flight.
Where to see it in Kruger
Found across open woodland and savanna throughout the park, almost always perched on a prominent dead branch or roadside post.
Did you know
Males show off by flying high then rolling and diving toward the ground in a dizzying tumble to impress a mate.
See it? Log it — free.
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