About the Racket-tailed Roller
The racket-tailed roller is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is found in southern Africa from Angola, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Tanzania to northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The racket-tailed roller is so named for the conspicuous elongated outer feathers on its tail which have long streamers ending in paddle-shaped tips. The bird is 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) long with the streamers extending another 8 cm (3 in). The forehead and superciliary streak are white, the crown dull green, the back rufous and the tail blue. The underparts are pale blue with whitish streaking. In flight, the purple upper wing with its azure-blue stripe can be seen. The under wing is pale blue with a purplish-black trailing edge and tip.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Racket-tailed Roller sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Purple-winged RollerCoracias temminckiiThe purple-winged roller is 30–34 cm (12–13 in) in length, similar in size to the Eurasian jay.
Blue-bellied RollerCoracias cyanogasterThe blue-bellied roller is a large bird, nearly the size of a jackdaw at 28–30 cm (11–12 in).
Abyssinian RollerCoracias abyssinicusThe Abyssinian roller is a large bird, nearly the size of a jackdaw at 28–30 cm (11–12 in).
Learn the Racket-tailed Roller for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.