NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
European Roller
Coracias garrulus Linnaeus, 1758
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 European roller (Coracias garrulus) is the only member of the roller family Coraciidae breeding in Europe. Its range extends into the Maghreb, West Asia and Central Asia. It winters in southern Africa, primarily in dry wooded savanna and bushy plains. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats, but avoids treeless plains. It usually nests in tree holes.
Wikipedia contributors, European roller; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:45:00.564652+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Coracias garrulus Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- European 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 garrulus Linnaeus, 1758
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 |
| Lilac-breasted RollerCoracias caudatus Linnaeus, 1766 | 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 |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
Southern Asia
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=554518 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:5ZZQS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.