Lilac-breasted Roller

Description:

Of all the rollers the lilac-breasted roller has the most varied plumage. This spotting shows pics of two individuals for a good look around all the bird’s feathers. The bird has a large washed green head, strong beak, brown back and scapular, and violet shoulder of the wing, outer webs of flight feathers and rump. The bases of the primaries and their coverts are pale greenish blue and the outer tail feathers are elongated and blackish. The chin is whitish, shading to lilac at the throat and breast. The underparts are greenish blue. Almost a complete rainbow.

Habitat:

Open woodland and savanna. Loves to perch, which makes the bird easy to spot. Widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula; common. The individual on the first shot was spotted in the Masai Mara. The individual in shots 2-6 was spotted in the Siana conservancy, just outside the Masai Mara.

Notes:

The lilac-breasted roller is the southern counterpart of the Abyssinian roller, with lilac breast and throat and shorter streamers. The Abyssinian roller can be seen at: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/631...