Bird of the Week – Eurasian Roller
The Eurasian roller's Zulu name is iFefe.
THE beautiful Eurasian roller is a migrant bird visiting our shores from October until April. Breeding takes place in Europe and the bird spends its summer all along the coast from Cape Town to Mozambique.
It is absent from the dry, western regions. The bird loves woodlands, savanna and grassveld with scattered trees. It is usually silent but makes a harsh, raucous ‘rak-kak kacker’ sound occasionally.
The Eurasian roller usually perches solitary on telephone wires or a conspicious perch. It flies down to catch prey on the ground, eating it there or taking it back to its perch, but it does occasionally catch its prey in flight.
Its flight is sluggish but bouyant with slow wingbeats. It has no nest as it breeds in Europe.
The Eurasian roller’s Zulu name is iFefe.
