Abyssinian Roller

Coracias abyssinicus

Performs barrel rolls and somersaults mid-flight to defend territory. Follows bush fires to catch insects fleeing the flames.

Population: Not numerically quantified by BirdLife/IUCN; described as widespread and common to frequent throughout its range, with an increasing population trend attributed to spread of modern agriculture and small-town urbanization
Habitat: Open/semi-open country with scattered trees: dry savanna, subtropical/tropical dry forest and grassland/woodland edges, arable land, pastureland, freshwater-adjacent areas, and rural/urban gardens and towns
Fun fact: The Abyssinian Roller will dash into the smoke of grass and forest fires (or follow grazing herds) to snatch insects flushed out by the disturbance, and adults carry ~12 cm tail streamers beyond the ~28-31 cm body length.
Range: Sub-Saharan West to East Africa, from Mauritania/Senegal/The Gambia east through the Sahel (Sudan, Ethiopia) to Somalia and northern Kenya; also southwestern Saudi Arabia and western Yemen; a full migrant within this range (BirdLife: breeding EOO ~11,900,000 km²)
Diet: Carnivorous, mainly large insects (grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars) and other invertebrates, plus occasional small rodents/reptiles; dives onto prey from an exposed perch, sometimes catches prey mid-flight, follows grass/forest fires and grazing herds to catch flushed invertebrates
Size: 0.3 m
Lifespan: 3.2 years

More Bee-eaters & Rollers