Field record
Indian Roller
Coracias benghalensis
It landed right beside the jeep with nesting material in its bill, and the low sun lit it up, the whole bird glowing.
- Location
- Nagarhole National Park
- Coordinates
- 12.03° N · 76.13° E
Field guideNear Threatened
It is named for the male’s dramatic aerobatic “rolling” display flight (steep dives with side-to-side tumbling) performed in the breeding season.
- Family
- Coraciidae (rollers)
- Length
- 30–34 cm
- Wingspan
- 65–74 cm
- Diet
- Insects (chiefly beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets)
- Range
- West Asia eastward across the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka