Found in western and central Africa, these birds prefer wooded areas. The blue-bellied roller’s name comes from their remarkable courtship behavior: rolling back and forth together in the sky, calling to each other.
The life of a blue-bellied roller
Blue-bellied rollers can grow up to one foot in length, weigh up to 5.3 ounces and live five to 10 years. Their tail and wings have a bright blue color.
They are fast-moving high flyers that spend much of their time far above the forest floor. Nesting in tree holes high above the ground, they dive down – sometimes 30 feet – to snatch prey and return to treetops. They eat mostly insects and oil palm fruit but also catch small reptiles.
Females lay two to three eggs at a time, hatching within 20 days. Both parents feed the young, which are independent after about 40 days.
Because of their agility and hard-to-reach nests, adult blue-bellied rollers have few predators. However, snakes, rodents, birds of prey and small mammals will eat blue-bellied roller eggs and chicks.
Blue-bellied rollers at the zoo
Located in the Vollum Aviary.
