NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Lilac-breasted Roller
Coracias caudatus Linnaeus, 1766
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus) is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and savanna, and it is for the most part absent from treeless places. Usually found alone or in pairs, it perches at the tops of trees, poles or other high vantage points from where it can spot insects, amphibians and small birds moving about on the ground. Nesting takes place in a natural hole in a tree where a clutch of 2–4 eggs are laid, and incubated by both parents, who are extremely aggressive in defence of their nest, taking on raptors and other birds. During the breeding season the male will rise to a fair height (69 to 144 metres), descending in swoops and dives, while uttering harsh, discordant cries. The sexes do not differ in coloration, and juveniles lack the long tail streamers of adults. This species is unofficially considered the national bird of Kenya.
Wikipedia contributors, Lilac-breasted roller; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:49:31.272430+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Coracias caudatus Linnaeus, 1766
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1766
- Common name
- Lilac-breasted Roller
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Coraciidae
- Genus
- Coracias
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCoraciiformes
- familyCoraciidae
- genusCoracias Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesCoracias caudatus Linnaeus, 1766
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Coracias. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Purple-winged RollerCoracias temminckii (Vieillot, 1819) | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Racket-tailed RollerCoracias spatulatus Trimen, 1880 | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| European RollerCoracias garrulus Linnaeus, 1758 | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Purple RollerCoracias naevius Daudin, 1800 | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indochinese RollerCoracias affinis Horsfield, 1840 | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indian RollerCoracias benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758) | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-bellied RollerCoracias cyanogaster Cuvier, 1816 | CoraciidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Coracias caudata Linnaeus, 1766 Linnaeus, 1766 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=692687 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5ZZQQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.