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Roller Coracias garrulus. Length 30-32cm. A colourful and unmistakeable bird of crow-like proportions and size, with a powerful, hook-tipped bill. Adult has a blue head, neck and underparts, palest on the forehead and with a narrow dark patch through the eye. The back is chestnut and the rump, tail and parts of the wing are bluish-purple. In flight, the wings look striking, the dark flight feathers contrasting with the paler blue coverts; note also the dark tips to the otherwise pale blue outer tail feathers. Juvenile has similar markings but the colours are much duller. The Roller breeds in southern Europe and winters in Africa, and most records in our region (four or five in a good year) occur around migration times. Vagrants are usually found in dry, open habitats such as heaths, and typically perch out in the open.
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© PAUL STERRY/Nature Photographers
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www.naturephotographers.co.uk
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Roller Coracias garrulus. Length 30-32cm. A colourful and unmistakeable bird of crow-like proportions and size, with a powerful, hook-tipped bill. Adult has a blue head, neck and underparts, palest on the forehead and with a narrow dark patch through the eye. The back is chestnut and the rump, tail and parts of the wing are bluish-purple. In flight, the wings look striking, the dark flight feathers contrasting with the paler blue coverts; note also the dark tips to the otherwise pale blue outer tail feathers. Juvenile has similar markings but the colours are much duller. The Roller breeds in southern Europe and winters in Africa, and most records in our region (four or five in a good year) occur around migration times. Vagrants are usually found in dry, open habitats such as heaths, and typically perch out in the open.