Other Scientific Names
Coracias caudata [Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)], Coracias caudata [Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993)], Coracias caudata [BirdLife International (2004)]
Other Names (World)
Lilac-breasted Roller, Lilac-throated Roller (lorti)
Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) [XC439393]
by isaac kilusu from Babati, Manyara Region, Tanzania (call)
Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) [XC599200]
by isaac kilusu from Mandegee farm, oloitoktok, Kenya (call, territorial display call)
Nest
A cavity in a dead tree or termite mound, up to 3 - 5 m above the ground.
Subspecies
Often regarded as forming a superspecies with Abyssinian Roller (Coracias abyssinicus) and European Roller (Coracias garrulus), though probably more closely allied to Abyssinian Roller (Coracias abyssinicus).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
lorti Shelley, 1885 - Eritrea south to Somalia and north-eastern Kenya.
caudatus Linnaeus, 1766 - Angola east to central and eastern Kenya, south to Namibia and northern South Africa.