treeless grasslands, provided that fences or telegraph wires are availahle for perching. In the south, it tends to avoid more wooded areas, where it is replaced hy the Racket-tailed Roller spatutata. In the Nchalo dis­ trict, southernmost Malawi, I found it to he particularly abundant, and one of the most conspicuous in all open habitats, induding treeless sugarcane Bold and Beautiful: plantations, where roadside power­ lines were utilized for perching. Lilac,breasted Roller Lilac-breasted Rollers are bold, garru­ lous hirds, and it is virtually impossihle to overlook their presence. Typically, in Field and Aviary they are met with as individuals perched on topmost hranches of trees by Joseph M Forshaw or at regular intervals along roadside Wauchope, Australia fences and telegraph wires, their hright plumage coloration and elongated out­ ermost tail-feathers aiding identiHcation. have two lasting impressions from to outermost feathers of the blue tail. A may have a favored vantage my birding travels through parts of The bill is black and the iris is dark perch, on which it can be seen sitting I East Africa. The Hrst is of a notable brown. Juveniles are markedly duller, day after day for weeks on end. abundance of diurnal birds of prey, especially on the throat and breast, Though not infrequently encountered especially larger such as eagles which are cinnabar-brown shaft­ in pairs or more rarely in small groups, and vultures, and the second is of a streaked with buff-white and with faint tllese rollers seem to prefer perching prevalence of coraciids. Being particu­ lilac margins to some feathers, and solitarily, and even apparently paired larly interested in coraciiform species there are no elongated, attenuated tips hirds will sit well apart on a powerline probably predisposed me to noting the to the outermost tail-feathers. or on topmost branches of adjoining presence of these birds, but I did Hnd Two well-differentiated subspecies trees, rather than in the same tree; this them to be unexpectedly plentiful, and occur in the extensive range through spacing probably increases the hunting perhaps no species epitomized this much of eastern and southern Africa. opportunities for each individual. prevalence more than the ubiquitous The more familiar C. c. caudata is res­ Quarrelsome and decidedly territori­ Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata. ident in the south, from Angola, south­ al, these rollers often are involved in Adults of both sexes exhibit the ern Congo and Uganda, and central aggressive interactions. With strident same striking plumage coloration, Kenya south to northern regions of the calling, a hird will swoop down to which features dark upperparts merg­ Republic of South Africa. Differing by chase off any approaching intruder, and ing from glossy olive-green on the having only the throat lilac, heavily at times physical contact will occur. crown and nape to olive-brown vari­ shaft-streaked with white, and the With outspread tails uplifted and crests ably tinged bluish on the upper back, breast azure-hlue, migratory C. c. torti raised intermittently, two birds, pre- scapulars and tertials, while the lower is conHned to north-eastern Africa, back and rump are rich cobalt blue, where breeding has been recorded in becoming greenish-blue on the upper eastern Ethiopia and north-western tail-coverts. The forehead, chin and Somalia to north-eastern Kenya, with sides of forecrown are white, the wintering birds coming south to south­ cheeks and ear-coverts lilac-rufous, and eastern Kenya. the throat to breast lilac shaft-streaked In northernmost parts of the range, with white, becoming dull mauve-pink this species is uncommon, but else­ on the lower breast and merging into where it is plentiful in open country, greenish-blue on the lower underparts. induding farmlands, and I found it to Rich cobalt-blue extends from the bend be the roller most familiar to local peo­ of the wing to the lesser wing-coverts, ple. It has a particularly broad habitat becoming bluish-green on the median tolerance, being equally at home in to secondary coverts, while the flight dry open woodlands, grasslands with feathers are azure-blue proximally and scattered trees, subdesert scruhlands, Distribution of the deep purple-blue distally. A prominent light forest, riparian woodlands, gar­ Lilac-breasted Roller feature is the elongated, attenuated tips dens or cultivated Helds, and even in Coracias caudata

26 September/October 2000 sumed to be rival males, were seen call­ by loud calling, herald commencement Phoeniculus purpureus an aviary that ing loudly at each other from perches of the breeding season, which is from was approximately 7 m in length and atop a bush. One would thrust forward March to July in the north and August width and 4 m in height. It is particu­ at the other, and then facing each other to December in the south. Birds pre­ larly interesting to note that the Green they would fly upward with beating sumed to be displaying males fly Woodhoopoes, also a coraciiform wings, one clawing at the other. Should strongly up into the air some 10 m to species, were especially tolerated, even one obtain a hold, both would fall to 15 m above the treetops, tip forward being permitted by the rollers to perch the ground and struggle for a while before falling with wings closed, then on top of the nestbox containing a before one would break free and fly up quickly gain speed with strong wing­ chick. Additionally, there are records of some 10 m into the air, rolling over beats, levelling out while twisting and pairs being housed with lorikeets and once or twice, and then sail down to rolling the body alternately right and Pionus parrots, Cyanocorax jays, and the perch, where he would give his cry. left, and then sweeping up again with Lamprotomis starlings. Because fighting Lilac-breasted Rollers are attracted to closed wings to tip forward and repeat between rival males of these strongly fires and can be seen in mixed assem­ the display flight before returning to territorial rollers can result in serious blages of birds that gather immediately their perches. As well as being an inte­ injury or even death, only one pair can in front of or behind the advancing gral component of courtship, these dis­ be placed in an aviary. flames, where fleeing or injured insects play flights serve as territorial advertise­ Locusts, cockroaches, crickets, meal­ and small reptiles or mammals are easy ments, and have been seen being per­ worms, and well-cleaned maggots are prey. At other times, they spend much formed by males after copulation or by favored foods, espeCially when chicks of the day sitting on a vantage perch pairs attempting to attract attention are being reared. Other items in the diet and scanning the ground below for the away from their nests or from newly include chopped day-old chicks, appearance of prey. As soon as prey is fledged young. chopped lean meat, chopped hard­ sighted, the roller swoops down to the The nest is in a hollow limb or hole boiled egg and pink baby mice, to ground, grasps the insect or reptile in its in a tree, or less commonly in a hole which may be added a sprinkling of bill, and either consumes the catch in a terrestrial termitarium, and the 2 to powdered vitamin or mineral supple­ there or brings it back to be struck 4 white eggs are laid on a rudimenta­ ments and insectivorous mix. repeatedly against the perch before ry bed of a few pieces of grass over­ For nesting, pairs will accept hollow being swallowed. laying decayed debris at the bottom of logs or nestboxes, the latter having the Food comprises small arthropods the hollow. Incubation by both sexes advantage of facilitating a monitoring and vertebrates, with favored prey lasts approximately 23 days, and both of nesting activities by regular inspec­ being large grasshoppers, locusts, parents bring food to the chicks. tions. Parrot nestboxes are suitable, crickets, beetles, moths and their lar­ Newly-hatched chicks are naked, but and internally these should be 20 cm vae, including hairy caterpillars, and acquire a covering of grey down at to 25 cm square and with a depth of some butterflies. Also' taken are spi­ five days, and are fully feathered at 19 approximately 40 cm to 60 cm, the ders, scorpions, centipedes, snails, days, Some 35 days after hatching, the bottom being filled to a depth of 10 cm small reptiles and small birds. A roller young birds leave the nest. with clean sawdust, wood shavings or has been seen to swoop down on a Of Coracias rollers, this probably is decayed heartwood. Both parents flock of wax bills feeding on the the species most commonly held in share incubation and care of the ground, and a captive bird killed two captivity, especially in South Africa, chicks, which continue to be fed for finches that entered its cage. When a and it has been bred successfully in about 10 days after leaving the nest, large grasshopper is captured, the zoos, bird parks, and private collec­ and during this post-fledging period jumping legs are pulled off, the body tions. Once acclimatized it is hardy the male parent is particularly protec­ manipulated in the bill until the head and longlived, though adequate pro­ tive of the youngsters. Young birds set­ faces the bird's throat, and then it is tection against cold winds or driving tle quickly and soon become confid­ swallowed. One roller was seen to rain must be provided and artificially­ ing, often coming with their parents to capture a frog, and then take eight heated wintering quarters may be take food from the hand. minutes to swallow it. required at high latitudes. References The fairly fast, direct flight is under­ A pair makes a most attractive exhib­ Collard, W. and D. Collard, 1969. Breeding the taken with rapid, shallow wingbeats, it in a large, planted aviary and, provid­ Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracius and in the air the elongated outermost ed that the aviary is sufficiently spa­ caudata), Avicult. Mag., 75 : 95-96. Forshaw, J. M. and W, T. Cooper, 1993. tail-feathers give these rollers a distinc­ cious, the rollers may be held in a and Related Birds: tive flight silhouette. Given during mixed collection with birds of compa­ Leptosomatidae, . Upupidae, Phoeniculidae, Sydney: Lansdowne flight or while perched is the rapidly rable size. At Cotswold Wildlife Park, in Editions. repeated, guttural rak .... rak contact Britain, a breeding pair shared with a Fry, C. H., K. Fry and A Harris. 1992. call, and during the rolling display single Common Bronze-winged Pigeon Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. London: Christopher Helm. flight it leads up to a harsh, raucous Phaps chalcoptera, a trio of Bamboo Simmons, J., 1979. Breeding the Lilac-breasted kaaa ... kaarsh. Partridges Bambusicola thoracia and Roller Coracias caudata at the Spectacular aerobatics, accompanied a trio of Green Woodhoopoes Cots wold Wildlife Park, Avicult. Mag .. 85: 61-62. ~ the afa WATCHBIRD 27