Lilac-breasted Rollers, Coracias caudatus, are a colourful and iconic species of much of Africa, south of the Sahara. Their favoured habitat is open savannah, where they can be seen perching in bushes, often by the side of roads. From these and other elevated perches like snags, they can scan the local area for possible prey. Small vertebrates can be vulnerable to Rollers when they are crossing vehicle tracks, as they are more visible.
Lilac-breasted Rollers feed on terrestrial invertebrates and small amphibians, reptiles and sometimes even small birds. They eat small prey on the ground, and take larger prey up to their look-out post, where they batter them to death before eating them. They are often among a varied group of birds taking advantage of the eges of bush fires to feed on small animals fleeing the flames.
This image is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
It is for sale as wall art or as various home or personal accessories at Pixels.com.
My original photo from which this image is derived is available to purchase as a Stock Photo from iStock.
