HIGH ROLLER 👣

He landed quietly next to us, watching as I shifted my attention from the big game ahead to this colorful kaleidoscope in the African bush.

This little creature was often sighted by me as we moved across various locations to find large game and animal shots.  Finding them was a gentle reminder of the vast amount of other life that shares our wilderness and its beauty. I could not help but keep my attention on this character as he flew along a bit while we moved, seemingly following us. Perhaps he was curious or just happened to fly in the same direction, but when we eventually came across some hyenas, he simply disappeared.

For those of you with an ornithological interest, in 1766, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus introduced the lilac-breasted roller to the scientific community. Linnaeus's description was based on "Le Rollier d'Angola," which had been previously described and illustrated in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. The specific epithet caudatus is derived from Latin, meaning "tailed."

In the bush, these birds can frequently be spotted perched alone on trees in clearings, easily distinguished by their vivid and colorful plumage. The nominate subspecies, C. c. caudatus, has a lilac throat that deepens into a darker lilac breast. Its crown and mantle are olive, while its cheeks and ear coverts are lilac-rufous. On the other hand, the subspecies C. c. lorti has a greenish-blue crown to its mantle and an azure breast. The throat is lilac, and some individuals may exhibit a lilac patch or rufous-brown tinges on their lower abdomen. Both subspecies inhabit open savannah habitats with scattered trees and shrubs, as they require higher perches for feeding and nesting.

Both subspecies are likely monogamous and nest alone. It is difficult to distinguish between male and female individuals, and their displays have not been definitively linked to either sex.

FEATHERED FRIENDS COLLECTION

Welcome to our feathered friends, with their flights of fancy, twitchers' delight, and the lightest touch.

Ever-present in our lives, birds fill the skies, settle in tree branches, and thrive on the ground. Their movements fill us with delight and awe, their silence is broken by delightful songs or anxious craws. This collection celebrates these moments in time with our feathered friends.