Indian Roller on the Highways

While travelling on the highway from Bangalore to Mangalore one can see beautiful bird perched on the electric wires by the side of the road. One such colorful bird is Indian Roller.

It is a stocky bird. The breast is brownish where as the crown and vent are blue. The primaries are deep purplish blue with a tail that is sky blue with a terminal band of Prussian blue and the central feathers are dull green.

The neck and throat are purplish lilac with white streaks. The bare patch around the eye is ochre in color. They have a long and compressed bill with a curved upper edge and a hooked tip.

These birds can be seen perched along roadside trees and wires. They can also be seen in open grassland and scrub forest habitats.