Coracias abyssinicus
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Abyssinian roller (Coracias abyssinicus), or Senegal roller, is a member of the roller family of birds which breeds across tropical Africa in a belt south of the Sahara, known as the Sahel. It is resident in the southern part of its range, but northern breeding populations are short-distance migrants, moving further south after the wet season.
The phylogenetic relationships among the Coracias species are shown below, from the molecular study by Johansson et al. (2018) The Abyssinian roller is a large bird, nearly the size of a jackdaw at 28–30 cm (11–12 in). It has a warm brown back, with the rest of the plumage mainly blue. Adults have 12 cm (4.7 in) long tail streamers. Sexes are similar, but the juvenile is a drabber version of the adult. Abyssinian roller is striking in its strong direct flight, with the brilliant blues of the wings contrasting with the brown back and the long tail streamers trailing behind. The call of the Abyssinian roller is a harsh crow-like gak sound, or a screeched aaaargh.
The Abyssinian roller is native to tropical Africa. Its range extends from southern Mauritania and Senegal in the west... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 2 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 4 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maiduguri | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | |
| 2 | N'Djamena | 🇹🇩 Chad | |
| 3 | Serrekunda | 🇬🇲 Gambia | |
| 4 | Ouagadougou | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | |
| 5 | Abuja | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Abyssinian Roller sighting in Awash National Park on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 217 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Abyssinian Roller in Awash National Park on a given day, against about 50% in June, the lowest month. That is one of Awash National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 85 mm in August. February–March, May and September have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Abyssinian Roller sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Abyssinian Roller sightings, Awash National Park has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 60%) and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 40%).
Same genus: Coracias
The closest relatives of the Abyssinian Roller that you can see in Awash National Park (genus Coracias, Typical Rollers) are Rufous-crowned Roller (about 30%) and Lilac-breasted Roller (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Abyssinian Roller is recorded against all the birds logged in Awash National Park (115 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
