The Lilac-Breasted Roller's Wild Life

A lilac-breasted roller dives from 144 metres during courtship.

Lilac-breasted rollers live across eastern and southern Africa.

Adult lilac-breasted rollers weigh about 104 grams on average.

Wingspans stretch between 50 and 58 centimetres wide.

Lilac-breasted rollers have syndactyl feet with fused toes.

Juvenile lilac-breasted rollers lack long black tail streamers.

One subspecies sports a greenish blue crown instead of olive.

Perched lilac-breasted rollers scan the ground for insects.

Larger prey gets carried back and beaten until dismembered. Brutal.

Pairs nest inside natural tree holes about 5 metres high.

Woodpeckers or kingfishers hollow out the cavities rollers use.

Both parents share incubation duties for 22 to 24 days.

Hatchlings grow their full feathers after just 19 days.

Kenya unofficially considers the lilac-breasted roller its national bird.