Coracias benghalensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is 30–34 cm (12–13 in) long with a wingspan of 65–74 cm (26–29 in) and weighs 166–176 g (5.9–6.2 oz). The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light and dark blue on the wings and tail. The bright blue markings on the wing are prominent in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognised.
The Indian roller occurs widely from West Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Often found perched on roadside trees and wires, it is common in open grassland and scrub forest habitats, and has adapted well to human-modified landscapes. It mainly feeds on insects, especially beetles. The species is best known for the aerobatic displays of males during the breeding season. Adult males and females form pair bonds and raise the young together. The female lays 3–5 eggs in a cavity or crevice, which is lined with a thin mat of straw or feathers. The roller is the state bird of three Indian states. It is listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.
The Indian roller was one of the many bird species originally described... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 6 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 12 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 15 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 17 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 2 | Tiruchirappalli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Visakhapatnam | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Durg | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Coimbatore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Indore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Bareilly | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Salem | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Bhopal | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Roller sighting in Kochi on a given day, based on 252 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 107th most-seen of the 235 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November to January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Roller in Kochi on a given day, against under 5% in February to October, the lowest months. Those are among Kochi's driest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 490 mm in June.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Roller sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
37th of 55
Of the 55 cities where we can rate Indian Roller sightings, Kochi ranks 37th at under 5%. The best odds are in Dubai (United Arab Emirates, about 40%), Tiruchirappalli (India, about 30%) and Visakhapatnam (India, about 30%).
Same order: Coraciiformes
The closest relatives of the Indian Roller that you can see in Kochi (order Coraciiformes, Rollers, Kingfishers, and Allies) are White-throated Kingfisher (about 60%), Blue-tailed Bee-eater (about 40%) and Stork-billed Kingfisher (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Roller is recorded against all the birds logged in Kochi (252 verified sightings), 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.
