Indian roller
Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) is a bird of the family Coraciidae in the order Coraciiformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass from 145 to 171 g, with a representative value of 157.5 g.
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Quick facts about the Indian roller
It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category, and its geographic range covers 3,925,000 km².
- Weight
- 145 g – 171 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- 30 cm – 34 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 65 cm – 74 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 8.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- human_modifiedsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 18 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.9 – 4src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the Indian roller?
Photos of the Indian roller
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the Indian roller live?
Not recorded
What is the Indian roller?
The Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) is a bird of the family Coraciidae. It is 30–34 cm (12–13 in) long with a wingspan of 65–74 cm (26–29 in) and weighs 166–176 g (5.9–6.2 oz). The face and throat are pinkish, the head and back are brown, with blue on the rump and contrasting light and dark blue on the wings and tail. The bright blue markings on the wing are prominent in flight. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognised.
The Indian roller occurs widely from West Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Often found perched on roadside trees and wires, it is common in open grassland and scrub forest habitats, and has adapted well to human-modified landscapes. It mainly feeds on insects, especially beetles. The species is best known for the aerobatic displays of males during the breeding season. Adult males and females form pair bonds and raise the young together. The female lays 3–5 eggs in a cavity or crevice, which is lined with a thin mat of straw or feathers. The roller is the state bird of three Indian states. It is listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List.
From the Wikipedia article “Indian roller” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indian_roller&oldid=1349000643), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the Indian roller endangered?
The Indian roller is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the Indian roller classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyCoraciidae
- genusCoracias
- SpeciesCoracias benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Other names and names in other languages (69)
- Indiese TroupantAfrikaans
- شقراق هنديArabic
- الشقراق الهنديArabic
- شقراق بنغاليArabic
- شقراق هندىEgyptian Arabic
- Бенгалска синявицаBulgarian
- নীলকণ্ঠ পাখিBangla
- Korag IndiaBreton
- gaig blau de l'ÍndiaCatalan
- mandelík indickýCzech
- rholydd IndiaWelsh
- Blåkronet EllekrageDanish
- HindurackeGerman
- BengalenrackeGerman
- Hindu-RackeGerman
- ހިންދު ފުރޮޅިDivehi
- Azia koracioEsperanto
- hindia koracioEsperanto
- Carraca indiaSpanish
- india siniraagEstonian
- Indiar karrakaBasque
- سبزقبای هندیPersian
- intiansininärhiFinnish
- Rollier indienFrench
- Iomlascóir IndiachIrish
- Rolleyder InjinaghManx
- નીલકંઠ (Nīlakaṇṭha)Gujarati
- כחל הודיHebrew
- नीलकंठ पक्षीHindi
- indijska zlatovranaCroatian
- bengál szalakótaHungarian
- HindhraniIcelandic
- Ghiandaia marina indianaItalian
- インドブッポウソウJapanese
- ನೀಲಕಂಠKannada
- Qelaşînka BengalêKurdish
- bengalinis žalvarnisLithuanian
- Indijas zilvārnaLatvian
- नीलकण्ठ पक्षीMaithili
- പനങ്കാക്കMalayalam
- चासMarathi
- भारतीय नीलपंखMarathi
- Burung Tiong GajahMalay
- ငှက်ခါးBurmese
- ठेउवाNepali
- Indische ScharrelaarDutch
- bengalråkeNorwegian
- ଭଦଭଦଳିଆOdia
- ਨੀਲ ਕੰਠPunjabi
- kraska orientalnaPolish
- نیل کنٹھWestern Panjabi
- rolieiro-indianoPortuguese
- Бенгальская сизоворонкаRussian
- IndiaalitguovssatNorthern Sami
- දුම්බොන්නාSinhala
- krakľa hnedastáSlovak
- indijska zlatovrankaSlovenian
- Indijska modrovranaSerbian
- Индијска модровранаSerbian
- indisk blåkråkaSwedish
- பனங்காடைTamil
- పాలపిట్టTelugu
- นกตะขาบทุ่งThai
- นกตะขาบอินเดียThai
- Hint GökkuzgunuTurkish
- сиворакша бенгальськаUkrainian
- Sả rừngVietnamese
- 棕胸佛法僧Chinese
- 西棕胸佛法僧Chinese
Relatives of the Indian roller
Other species in the same genus Coracias.
European roller
Coracias garrulus
Lilac-breasted roller
Coracias caudatus
Abyssinian roller
Coracias abyssinicus
Blue-bellied roller
Coracias cyanogaster
Purple roller
Coracias naevius
Racket-tailed roller
Coracias spatulatus
CompareIndian roller vs European rollerIndian roller vs Lilac-breasted rollerIndian roller vs Abyssinian rollerIndian roller vs Blue-bellied roller
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Indian roller?
The Indian roller is a bird of the family Coraciidae in the order Coraciiformes.
How much does the Indian roller weigh?
Adult Indian rollers weigh from 145 to 171 g, with a representative value of 157.5 g.
What does the Indian roller eat?
The Indian roller is classed as an omnivore by diet category, with a trophic level of carnivore.
Is the Indian roller endangered?
No, it is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
How long does the Indian roller live?
Sources give a lifespan of 8.9 years for the Indian roller.
How many eggs does the Indian roller lay?
The Indian roller lays a clutch of 4 eggs, which are incubated for 18 days.
Does the Indian roller migrate?
Yes, the Indian roller is partially migratory.
Who named the Indian roller?
The Indian roller was named Coracias benghalensis by Linnaeus in 1758, written as (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-roller
“Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-roller.
@misc{indian_roller_2026,
title = {Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-roller},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}