Coracias cyanogaster
blue-bellied roller

Blue-bellied rollers are found in western and central Africa, from Senegal eastward to southern Sudan. (Mackworth-Praed and Grant, 1970)

Blue-bellied rollers live in wooded savanna, tree plantations, forest edges, recently burned land, and forests near marshes. These savanna areas are often forest edges, and are rarely more than several tens of meters above sea level. (Cave and MacDonald, 1955; Fry, Keith, and Urban, 1988; Moynihan, 1990)

Blue-bellied rollers are small birds with relatively large heads. They have heavy, downward-curved beaks and short legs to fit their stocky bodies. Blue-bellied rollers have cream-colored heads and chests, with pale-blue bellies and dark blue or dark green wings. These birds have a brownish-black mantle and scapulars with streaks of green. Blue-bellied rollers have azure-blue tails, which are slightly forked. They have an average wingspan of 359 mm, with each wing measuring an average length of 183 mm. Mass ranges from about 110 g to 150 g, with an average mass of 142 g. Blue-bellied rollers are generally about 280 mm to 300 mm in total length. Juveniles are typically smaller than adults, with duller coloration and a shorter tail. There are no known polymorphisms or subspecies. (Cave and MacDonald, 1955; Fry, Keith, and Urban, 1988; Zoo, 2003/2006)

There is no available information on the specific lifespan of blue-bellied rollers, but there is information available pertaining to other species of rollers. European rollers (Coracias garrulus) live for approximately 8.9 years in captivity. (Mackworth-Praed and Grant, 1970)

Blue-bellied rollers are a social species, usually living in groups of three to seven birds, although groups of up to twenty birds have been recorded. Some blue-bellied rollers migrate during the wet season (in winter). Blue-bellied rollers are known for their tendencies to sit in trees at about ten meters off the ground and dive to the forest floor for insects. Blue-bellied rollers flock to forest and savanna fires, where they wait outside the fire and feed on insects fleeing the flames. (Fry, Keith, and Urban, 1988; Zoo, 2003/2006)

Home Range

The mean density of blue-bellied rollers in savanna habitats is 414 adults per 19.5 square kilometers. Pairs and small groups of blue-bellied rollers often defend territories as large as 10,000 square meters. (Moynihan, 1990)

Social interaction and communication among blue-bellied rollers consists of calling, flying together, and chasing. These activities are used to show territoriality, maintain group unity, and initiate courtship. (Bannerman, 1953; Fry, Keith, and Urban, 1988; Moynihan, 1990)

Blue-bellied rollers generally feed on large invertebrates such as beetles, grasshoppers, winged ants and termites. Blue-bellied rollers also feed on some small vertebrates, including colubrid snakes. They also eat oil-palm fruits. (Fry, Keith, and Urban, 1988; Zoo, 2003/2006)

Blue-bellied rollers are not heavily preyed on. In open savanna environments, blue-bellied rollers are typically large, powerful, and agile enough to escape most predators, such as carnivorous mammals and rodents, snakes, and hawks. Eggs, nestlings, and fledglings are most vulnerable. Blue-bellied rollers are less aggressive toward potential predators than they are to other animals that invade their territory. (Moynihan, 1990)

Blue-bellied rollers act as predators towards large insect populations in central and western Africa. Because of their territorial habits they may benefit the trees they inhabit for shelter by warding off other animals that attempt to feed on the leaves. (Fry, Keith, and Urban, 1988; Moynihan, 1990; Zoo, 2003/2006)

There are no known adverse effects of blue-bellied rollers on humans.

Blue-bellied rollers are well-adapted to living in regions dominated by agriculture. They probably play a key role in pest control for farmers in these areas by eating insects which may otherwise feed on crops.

Blue-bellied rollers have been placed in the lower risk/least concern category in the IUCN Red List in 1988, 1994 and 2000. These birds are not currently in any danger of extinction. ("IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species", 2001)