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The Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) is a member of the roller family of birds. It is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula, preferring open woodland and savanna; it is largely absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches conspicuously at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects like this grasshopper, lizards, scorpions, snails, small birds and rodents moving about at ground level. The sexes are alike in coloration. Juveniles do not have the long tail feathers that adults do. It is also the national bird of Botswana.
Lilacbreasted Roller (Coracias caudata), Chobe National Park, Botswana, Africa

Nikon D200, Nikkor 80-400 mm, 1/640 sec at f/ 5.6, ISO 160
© Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos Photography. All Rights Reserved.

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