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Two blue-bellied rollers with cream-colored heads and dark blue wings perched in a tree.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Blue-Bellied Roller

Coracias cyanogaster

A cream-and-blue West and Central African bird named for the tumbling, rolling flights males perform in courtship.

🐦 Rollers
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About the Blue-Bellied Roller

Blue-bellied rollers live in western and central Africa, from Senegal east to southern Sudan, in wooded savannas, plantations and forest edges. They perch about 10 meters up in trees and dive to the ground to catch beetles, grasshoppers, ants and termites. They live in groups of three to seven birds.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Coracias cyanogaster[1]
Size
28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 inches) long.[1]
Weight
110 to 150 g (about 4 to 5 ounces).[1]
Diet
Large insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, ants and termites, plus small snakes and fruit.[1]
Habitat
Wooded savanna, plantations and forest edges, often near marshes.[1]
Where it lives
Western and central Africa, from Senegal to southern Sudan.[1]
Group life
Groups of three to seven birds.[1]
Babies
2 or 3 eggs. Both parents incubate and feed the chicks.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • Rollers are named for their courtship flights, rolling and tumbling through the sky.[1]
  • Blue-bellied rollers watch from about 10 meters up and dive down to grab insects.[1]
  • Besides insects, they sometimes eat small snakes.[1]

Vocabulary

courtship
Behavior animals use to attract a mate.
perch
To sit on a branch or other high place.
savanna
A warm, grassy area with scattered trees.
azure
A bright, sky-blue color.
incubate
To keep eggs warm so the babies inside can grow and hatch.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. “Coracias cyanogaster (blue-bellied roller).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Coracias_cyanogaster/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Coracias cyanogaster (Blue-bellied Roller).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682908/92967763 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.