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Photo: John Gerrard Keulemans / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Least Concern

Purple-winged Roller

Coracias temminckii

Purple-winged Roller (Coracias temminckii) — Kingfishers & Rollers of Australia & Oceania.

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The Purple-winged Roller (Coracias temminckii) is a member of the Coraciidae family found in Australia & Oceania. Adults weigh 154 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Coraciiformes
  3. Family Coraciidae Rollers
  4. Genus Coracias
  5. Species temminckii

Where it lives

Sulawesi, Manterawu (west of northeastern Sulawesi), Bangka (north of northeastern Sulawesi), Lembeh (northeast of northeastern Sulawesi) and Muna and Butung (=Buton; southeast of southeastern Sulawesi)

Quick facts

Weight
154 g
Family
Coraciidae
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Purple-winged Roller is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Behaviour

A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.

Migration

The Purple-winged Roller is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The Purple-winged Roller (Coracias temminckii) is a member of the Coraciidae family, within the order Coraciiformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania. Its distribution covers AU Sulawesi, Manterawu (w of ne Sulawesi), Bangka (n of ne Sulawesi), Lembeh (ne of ne Sulawesi) and Muna and Butung (=Buton; se of se Sulawesi).

It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 154 g, with a wing length of about 18.3 cm and a tail of around 13.5 cm.

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 147,000 km².

Songs & calls

Purple-winged Roller — Call

Recorded by Ding Li Yong Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Purple-winged Roller?

The Purple-winged Roller is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 154 g.

Where does the Purple-winged Roller live?

The Purple-winged Roller is found across Australia & Oceania with a range covering AU Sulawesi, Manterawu (w of ne Sulawesi), Bangka (n of ne Sulawesi), Lembeh (ne of ne Sulawesi) and Muna and Butung (=Buton; se of se Sulawesi), where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Purple-winged Roller belong to?

The Purple-winged Roller (Coracias temminckii) belongs to the Coraciidae family, in the order Coraciiformes.

What does the Purple-winged Roller eat?

The Purple-winged Roller is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the Purple-winged Roller migrate?

The Purple-winged Roller is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the Purple-winged Roller endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

What sound does the Purple-winged Roller make?

1 real field recording of the Purple-winged Roller — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the Purple-winged Roller's range?

The Purple-winged Roller has a mapped global range of about 147,000 km².

Conservation

Least Concern

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

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