European roller

    Coracias garrulus

Castilian: Carraca europea

Catalan: Gaig blau

Gallego: Rolieiro

Euskera: Karraka

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Coraciiformes

Family: Coraciidae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Vulnerable”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

listen song

THREATS

The most imporant threats are the loss of habitat caused by changes in farming, the disappearance of forest boundaries, and the deterioration of rural buildings where it usually nests. Insecticide poisonings, being run over by vehicles and electrical cable accidents are also frequent.

Length / size: 30-32 cm / 66-73 cm

Identification: Unmistakeable bird because of the different shades of blue found in its plumage. They range from greenish-blue on its head to indigo on its rump or the middle tail feathers, all of which contrasts with its reddish-brown back.

Song: It makes a sound similar to that of the wooden rattle, "rak-kra-kra-kra".

Diet: It feeds on flying invertebrates (beetles, dragonflies, etc.) and land ones as well (grasshoppers, crickets, centipedes, etc.). It can also eat an occasional small lizard, snake or rat.

Reproduction: It can install its nest in diverse sites such as old hollow trees, woodpecker nests, nesting boxes and even human structures. Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the chicks, although the food is primarily provided by the female.

HABITAT

It prefers open areas, with farmland, livestock pastures and scattered trees, but it usually occupies grasslands, cleared pine groves, mosaic farming landscapes, etc.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is unevenly distributed, with the principal breeding concentrations being found in the middle Ebro basin, Extremadura, and the eastern half of Andalusia, although it appears in other regions.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the northern half of the community, with its largest populations located in Salamanca and Zamora.

Movements and migrations: It behaves like a trans-Saharan migrant that winters in tropical Africa. The postnuptial migration begins in August-September, and in April-May the first specimens appear in our country.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of almost 10000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 400-600 breeding pairs.