Photographed in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, the lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus) is a fairly common but nonetheless beautiful species. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa and sometimes seen on the Arabian Peninsula as well. The national bird of both Botswana and Kenya, it feeds on a variety of prey including lizards, scorpions, snails, smaller birds, and rodents.
I’ve seen numerous pictures of these birds taken by travellers over the years and was pleased to get some shots of them myself. Technically nothing too special about this shot really, a long lens used at a wide aperture to isolate the bird against an indistinct background. With the bird’s head in profile, all the points of interest are acceptably within, or close to, the plane of focus. I like the colours and the detail in the feathers which were the point of taking the shot. Enjoy KD.
Lilac Breasted Roller, Tarangire National Park
Canon 5D with 500mm lens at F5.6 shutter speed 1/500 second ISO 400, cropped image.
Suggested further reading: Birdlife International
Further images can be found in the Tanzania Image Gallery. ~KD.