Lilac-breasted Roller
Coracias caudatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCoraciiformes (Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies)
- FamilyCoraciidae (Rollers)
- GenusCoracias (Typical Rollers)
- SpeciesCoracias caudatus (Lilac-breasted Roller)
The lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus) is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and savanna, and it is for the most part absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, amphibians and small birds moving about on the ground. Nesting takes place in a natural hole in a tree where a clutch of 2–4 eggs are laid, and incubated by both parents, who are extremely aggressive in defence of their nest, taking on raptors and other birds. During the breeding season the male will rise to a fair height (69 to 144 metres), descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries. Wikipedia →
50–60% of wildlife watchers report a Lilac-breasted Roller sighting in Akagera National Park, based on 291 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Akagera National Park
European Roller
Coracias garrulus
Broad-billed Roller
Eurystomus glaucurus
Pied Kingfisher
Ceryle rudis
Woodland Kingfisher
Halcyon senegalensis
Malachite Kingfisher
Corythornis cristatus
Little Bee-eater
Merops pusillus
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaster
Striped Kingfisher
Halcyon chelicuti
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Merops persicus
Shining-blue Kingfisher
Alcedo quadribrachys
African Pygmy-Kingfisher
Ispidina picta
Gray-headed Kingfisher
Halcyon leucocephala
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lilac-breasted Roller in Akagera National Park?
About 59% of wildlife watchers report a Lilac-breasted Roller sighting in Akagera National Park, based on 291 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lilac-breasted Roller in Akagera National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Lilac-breasted Roller in Akagera National Park in our monthly data.