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The Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and 1 more countries. Savannas of eastern and southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and small mammals and birds. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the Lilac-breasted Roller lives

Savannas of eastern and southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs50%
• 🦎 Reptiles & frogs30%
• 🐭 Mammals & birds20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the Lilac-breasted Roller

Recorded by He Wenjin (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1169799. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Lilac-breasted Roller

Where does the Lilac-breasted Roller live?

The Lilac-breasted Roller lives in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and 1 more countries. Savannas of eastern and southern Africa.

What does the Lilac-breasted Roller eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), reptiles and frogs (about 30%), small mammals and birds (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Lilac-breasted Roller endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

• Blacksmith lapwing
• Southern masked weaver
• Southern boubou
• Black-backed puffback
• Pin-tailed whydah
• Blue waxbill

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.