6 thoughts on “Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)”
Indian Roller is quite commonly seen in open country through out India. It is an aggerssive species and usurps nest cavities and prey from other diuranl birds. It is a successful nester and reported decline in SOIB 2023 does not support it with any particualr cause. It may be an oversight in recording the species by the citizens. I think it can continue to remain in the LC category.
I’ve been closely observing Indian Rollers across both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and there’s a noticeable difference in their population trends between the two states.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Indian Roller population appears to be relatively stable. This can largely be attributed to the state’s agricultural landscape, which provides abundant foraging opportunities and open areas that suit the species well.
In contrast, Telangana has seen a significant decline in Indian Roller numbers in recent years. This decline can be linked to a combination of cultural, ecological, and urban development factors:
Cultural Exploitation During Dussehra:
In Telangana, the Indian Roller—locally known as “Pala Pitta”—is considered a symbol of good fortune, especially during the Dussehra festival. Many people believe that spotting the bird during this time is auspicious. As a result, Indian Rollers are often captured and brought to temples for public display during the festival season. While the intention may be cultural or spiritual, this practice leads to stress, injury, or death of the birds, and disrupts their natural behavior and movement during a crucial time of the year.
Rapid Urbanization and Habitat Loss:
Cities like Hyderabad and other urban centers in Telangana are expanding rapidly, leading to the loss of open fields, scrublands, and old trees that Indian Rollers rely on for nesting and hunting. The conversion of green areas into concrete spaces not only reduces available habitat but also fragments existing ones, making it difficult for the birds to survive and breed.
Pesticide Use and Declining Prey Availability:
Indian Rollers primarily feed on insects, small reptiles, and other invertebrates. The increased use of pesticides in agriculture has likely caused a decline in insect populations, reducing the food base for the species. Moreover, pesticide contamination can also affect the birds directly through bioaccumulation and poisoning.
Loss of Nesting Sites:
Indian Rollers nest in cavities of old trees, poles, and buildings. With the reduction of large old trees and the shift to modern infrastructure, suitable nesting locations are becoming scarce, directly impacting their breeding success.
Altogether, these pressures are contributing to a noticeable drop in Indian Roller sightings across Telangana.
Indian rollers reduced drastically in telangana. In childhood, I used to see good numbers and now a days I feel white throated kingfishers replaced rollers in Telangana state. We hardly find Indian rollers even in agriculture fields in Telangana.
Indian Roller population at Nanjangud taluk, Mysuru, Karnataka is decreasing. About 5 years back, I used to see them in good numbers everyday near agriculture fields. Now a days, frequency of sightings reduced. Earlier farmers were growing more cereal crops. More and more agricultural fields are converted from rainfed to irrigation by pumpset. Which leads to growing commercial crops. Using insecticides while growing crops increased. These could be the reasons for decline.
Local and spatially concentrated declines (particularly around well watched areas such as towns and cities) should not be used as an indicator of overall red list status, particularly in a large country like India with relatively poor spatial coverage. The species remains common in most agricultural areas in drier parts of the country, including palm plantations and other monocultures. It also remains one of the most conspicuous and numerous birds on wires and poles along roads in much of both south and north India.
Without more quantitative data, this uplisting is premature, and will simply continue the trend of yo-yoing species statuses across the Indian subcontinent. There simply is not the kind of rigorous data that exists on say the European Roller for parts of its range, and any preliminary evidence of decline should be an excuse to fund people to get better data (not eBird!), as opposed to rushing changes to the Red List status.
Indian Roller is quite commonly seen in open country through out India. It is an aggerssive species and usurps nest cavities and prey from other diuranl birds. It is a successful nester and reported decline in SOIB 2023 does not support it with any particualr cause. It may be an oversight in recording the species by the citizens. I think it can continue to remain in the LC category.
Indian Roller can be seen frequently in lowlands of Nepal.
I’ve been closely observing Indian Rollers across both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and there’s a noticeable difference in their population trends between the two states.
In Andhra Pradesh, the Indian Roller population appears to be relatively stable. This can largely be attributed to the state’s agricultural landscape, which provides abundant foraging opportunities and open areas that suit the species well.
In contrast, Telangana has seen a significant decline in Indian Roller numbers in recent years. This decline can be linked to a combination of cultural, ecological, and urban development factors:
Cultural Exploitation During Dussehra:
In Telangana, the Indian Roller—locally known as “Pala Pitta”—is considered a symbol of good fortune, especially during the Dussehra festival. Many people believe that spotting the bird during this time is auspicious. As a result, Indian Rollers are often captured and brought to temples for public display during the festival season. While the intention may be cultural or spiritual, this practice leads to stress, injury, or death of the birds, and disrupts their natural behavior and movement during a crucial time of the year.
Rapid Urbanization and Habitat Loss:
Cities like Hyderabad and other urban centers in Telangana are expanding rapidly, leading to the loss of open fields, scrublands, and old trees that Indian Rollers rely on for nesting and hunting. The conversion of green areas into concrete spaces not only reduces available habitat but also fragments existing ones, making it difficult for the birds to survive and breed.
Pesticide Use and Declining Prey Availability:
Indian Rollers primarily feed on insects, small reptiles, and other invertebrates. The increased use of pesticides in agriculture has likely caused a decline in insect populations, reducing the food base for the species. Moreover, pesticide contamination can also affect the birds directly through bioaccumulation and poisoning.
Loss of Nesting Sites:
Indian Rollers nest in cavities of old trees, poles, and buildings. With the reduction of large old trees and the shift to modern infrastructure, suitable nesting locations are becoming scarce, directly impacting their breeding success.
Altogether, these pressures are contributing to a noticeable drop in Indian Roller sightings across Telangana.
Indian rollers reduced drastically in telangana. In childhood, I used to see good numbers and now a days I feel white throated kingfishers replaced rollers in Telangana state. We hardly find Indian rollers even in agriculture fields in Telangana.
Indian Roller population at Nanjangud taluk, Mysuru, Karnataka is decreasing. About 5 years back, I used to see them in good numbers everyday near agriculture fields. Now a days, frequency of sightings reduced. Earlier farmers were growing more cereal crops. More and more agricultural fields are converted from rainfed to irrigation by pumpset. Which leads to growing commercial crops. Using insecticides while growing crops increased. These could be the reasons for decline.
Local and spatially concentrated declines (particularly around well watched areas such as towns and cities) should not be used as an indicator of overall red list status, particularly in a large country like India with relatively poor spatial coverage. The species remains common in most agricultural areas in drier parts of the country, including palm plantations and other monocultures. It also remains one of the most conspicuous and numerous birds on wires and poles along roads in much of both south and north India.
Without more quantitative data, this uplisting is premature, and will simply continue the trend of yo-yoing species statuses across the Indian subcontinent. There simply is not the kind of rigorous data that exists on say the European Roller for parts of its range, and any preliminary evidence of decline should be an excuse to fund people to get better data (not eBird!), as opposed to rushing changes to the Red List status.