Coracias
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Adult European Roller
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Coracias is a genus of the rollers, an Old World family of near passerine birds related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups, blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but not the outer one.
These are insect eaters, usually catching their prey in the air. They often perch prominently whilst hunting, like giant shrikes. The species in taxonomic order are:
- European Roller Coracias garrulus
- Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinica
- Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata
- Racquet-tailed Roller Coracias spatulata
- Rufous-crowned Roller Coracias noevia
- Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
- Temminck's Roller Coracias temminckii
- Blue-bellied Roller Coracias cyanogaster
[edit] References
- Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers by Fry, Fry and Harris, ISBN 0-7136-8028-8
[edit] External links
- Roller videos on the Internet Bird Collection