Bird of medium size (approx 30 cm or 12 in), very striking and unmistakable. Plumage in general of various blue tones (indigo in the tail and greenish blue in the head) with the back of rufous colour. Robust body and a sturdy black bill.
Cultivated areas
Species linked to open areas with vegetation of mosaic crops, fields, pastures with livestock and scattered trees. Also present in meadows.
Species present in the province only during migratory passages. Winters in tropical Africa. Nest in hollows of trees, slopes and rocks. The European Roller makes one annual laying of 3 to 5 eggs. The chicks are not hatched simultaneously because the incubation begins after the laying of the first egg, something rare in birds. This species feeds on large insects, both flying (coleoptera, dragonflies) and terrestrial (grasshoppers, crickets, scolopendras). Occasionally it captures small vertebrates.
Scarce bird in Malaga that, however, can be watched almost anywhere in the province during its migration. In the Great Path this roller can be seen more easily in stage 18. The foothills and deforested slopes or with scattered trees of Sierra Bermeja are places where it usually rests during its migration route.
The name of this bird in Spanish (“carraca”) means “ratchet” and comes from the noisy call that it emits, similar to the sound of ratchets. Its name in Latin refers to the same: a crow (Coracias) that emits squeaks or gurgles (garrulus).
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