Coracias cyanogaster
The Blue-bellied Roller, Coracias cyanogaster, is a strikingly beautiful and charismatic avian resident of West and Central Africa, known for its vibrant plumage and acrobatic flight displays. Measuring approximately 28-30 cm (11-12 inches) in length with a wingspan of about 45 cm, it boasts a distinctive creamy-white head and upper back, which contrasts sharply with its olive-brown mantle and brilliant blue underparts, rump, and flight feathers. A key field mark for identification is the pai...
Found in open woodlands, savannas, clearings, and forest edges, often near cultivated areas or oil palm plantations, typically at low to mid-elevations up to 1,200 meters.
Primarily feeds on large ground-dwelling insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, and crickets, supplemented with small lizards, frogs, and occasionally small rodents.
This diurnal species is a classic 'sit-and-wait' predator, often perching conspicuously on high vantage points like dead trees, power lines, or poles, scanning the ground for prey. Its foraging technique involves swooping down rapidly to snatch insects or small vertebrates from the substrate, the...
The Blue-bellied Roller is a resident species found across a broad band of West and Central Africa, maintaining its presence year-round throughout its distribution. Its breeding range extends from Senegal and Gambia in the west, eastward through Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte ...
Least Concern
- The 'roller' in their name comes from the spectacular, acrobatic, undulating flight displays performed during courtship. - Unlike many other rollers that are adept at catching prey in flight, the Blue-bellied Roller primarily hunts from a perch, swooping down to the ground. - Its brilliant blue...