Scientific name Coracias Higher classification Roller | Family Coraciidae Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | |
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Lower classifications | ||
Indian roller coracias benghalensis blue jay bird video by shirishkumar patil
Coracias is a genus of the rollers, an Old World family of near passerine birds related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups, blues and browns predominating. The two outer front toes are connected, but not the inner one.
Contents
- Indian roller coracias benghalensis blue jay bird video by shirishkumar patil
- Indian roller or blue jay coracias benghalensis in madhya pradesh
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Extant species
- Former species
- Behaviour and ecology
- References
Indian roller or blue jay coracias benghalensis in madhya pradesh
Taxonomy and systematics
The name is from the Ancient Greek korakías (κορακίας), derived from korax (κόραξ, ‘raven, crow’). Aristotle described the coracias as a bird as big as a crow but has a red beak, which some believe to be the chough.
Extant species
Eight species are recognized:
Former species
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Coracias:
Behaviour and ecology
Coracias rollers are watch-and wait hunters. They sit in a tree or on a post before descending on their prey and carrying it back in the beak to a perch before dismembering it. A wide range of terrestrial invertebrates, and small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards rodents and young birds, are taken. Their prey includes items avoided by many other birds, such as hairy caterpillars, insects with warning colouration and snakes. They often perch prominently whilst hunting, like giant shrikes.