… and definitely the most colorful one: the lilac-breasted roller!

Jonathan sent in a photo of a lilac-breasted roller yesterday, a photo he had just shot on his game drive. I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of this bird, its “design” is almost over the top. 20 different color patterns on its feathers! Incredible.

This bird is quite common in the sub-Saharan area, and is not endangered. It needs trees, so it is quasi absent from places that have little to no trees. It also breeds in trees, in natural alcoves or holes in tree trunks, laying 2-4 eggs at a time. It also sits on top of trees, to spot lizards, snails, bugs and other insects that it will drop down onto and eat. They are also quite aggressive fellows! They will defend their nest with ferocious energy against intruders, and they usually get things their way. By the way, both females and males have quasi the same feather and color patterns, so it is impossible to thell them apart when observing them. They also both incubate their eggs. Equal rights and responsibilities. 😉

By the way, the lilac-breasted roller is the national bird of Botswana and Kenya.

So, curtains open to the lilac-breasted roller! Here’s Jonathan’s photo!