The story begins one summer day
The afternoon is hot, and the air is still. Even the insects that inhabit the sunbeams seem lulled into a quiet stupor by the heat. Suddenly, a flash of blue disturbs the shadows, and a Racket-tailed roller dives steeply down into the leaf litter of the woodland floor and catches a hapless mantis; the roller rises to its perch again to quickly dispatch the insect.
The modest beauties of the Makuleke woodland
With their vivid pale blue breast plumage and deep lilac wings, one might imagine that Racket-tailed rollers are easy to see. But they are not! It requires patience and persistence to see one and a bit of luck. These beautiful birds inhabit the mid-layers of woodland areas, using their unobtrusive brown backs as camouflage when disturbed. Unlike other roller species who delight in perching on exposed branches, Racket-tailed rollers prefer to stay close to the tree trunks. Racket-tailed rollers are usually fairly quiet birds, and their voices can be heard in various squeaks and hollow sounds, only screeching loudly when their territory gets invaded.
How did they get their name?
Both male and female birds boast a very distinctive tail. The 3-inch-long tail feathers are narrow and bare until halfway down, when they spread into a rounded tip, giving each feather a racket-like shape.
Habits and Habitat Preferences
Racket-tailed rollers occur throughout Southern Africa in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Racket-tailed rollers make their homes in woodland areas (particularly Mopane and Miombo woodland).
They make their nests in hollow tree trunks, often using the abandoned nests of other birds such as barbets or woodpeckers. The female lays 2-3 eggs which she incubates for 18 – 20 days. Young Racket-tailed rollers can fly in 4 weeks, and these birds can live up to 25 years (in captivity).
Racket-tailed rollers reach sexual maturity in 24 months and are the smallest and lightest of the roller family. Males and females’ range in size between 28 and 30cm. Although the birds form monogamous pairs, they are known to be cooperative breeders. Usually, a pair will occupy a particular tree or clearing, but occasionally, they will form a small social group.
And they lived happily ever after - or will they?
Although Racket-tailed rollers are increasingly challenging to find, changes in land use are steadily eroding their preferred habitats. They use woodland areas to collect fuel wood and urban development and other human activities affect woodland areas across Southern Africa. Planting Indigenous trees and preserving Indigenous woodland areas is essential to protecting these beautiful birds.
Spoil yourself with a trip to Makuleke and look for the unusual area called the “Racket-tailed clearing” where these rollers may nest in Vachellia xanthophloea trees.
More birds from Makuleke
And they lived happily ever after - or will they?
Although Racket-tailed rollers are increasingly challenging to find, changes in land use are steadily eroding their preferred habitats. They use woodland areas to collect fuel wood and urban development and other human activities affect woodland areas across Southern Africa. Planting Indigenous trees and preserving Indigenous woodland areas is essential to protecting these beautiful birds.
Spoil yourself with a trip to Makuleke and look for the unusual area called the “Racket-tailed clearing” where these rollers may nest in Vachellia xanthophloea trees.
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For more information on the 7-day Birding in the Bush Course, please contact [email protected] or call +27 (0)13 7522532
What to expect from the Birding in the Bush?
We invite you to spread your wings and join us for our 7-day Birding in the Bush course in Northern Kruger National Park. During this immersive experience, we’ll guide you through the fundamentals of birding on daily bush walks and game drives across the historically rich Makuleke region. This course will help birding enthusiasts identify a wide variety of bird species by sight and sound and provide insights into their biology and ecology.
