Rufous-crowned Roller
Rufous-crowned RollerRufous-crowned RollerRufous-crowned RollerRufous-crowned Roller

Rufous-crowned Roller

Coracias naevius

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Etosha National Park
434 Verified sightings at Etosha National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,973 Verified sightings across all 36 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Rufous-crowned Roller

The name "purple roller" can also refer to the azure dollarbird (Eurystomus azureus) of Indonesia. The purple roller (Coracias naevius), or rufous-crowned roller, is a medium-sized bird widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Compared with other rollers its colours are rather dull and its voice harsh and grating.

The purple roller was formally described in 1800 by the French zoologist François Marie Daudin under the binomial name Coracias naevia. Daudin's description was based on a specimen collected in Senegal. The specific epithet is from Latin naevius meaning "spotted" or "marked". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the purple roller was most closely related to the racket-tailed roller (Coracias spatulatus).

The phylogenetic relationships among the Coracias species are shown below, from the molecular study by Johansson et al. (2018) Two subspecies are recognised: Lilac-throated roller (C. n. naevius) – Daudin, 1800: The common name for this subspecies is also used as an alternate name for the lilac-breasted roller. Found from Senegal and Gambia to Somalia and northern Tanzania

C. n. mosambicus – Dresser, 1890: Originally described... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Lilac-breasted Roller
LC

Lilac-breasted Roller

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coracias caudatus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
European Roller
LC

European Roller

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Coracias garrulus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
LC

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops hirundineus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
European Bee-eater
LC

European Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops apiaster

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Madagascar Bee-eater
LC

Madagascar Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops superciliosus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Little Bee-eater
LC

Little Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops pusillus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Striped Kingfisher
LC

Striped Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Halcyon chelicuti

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Gray-headed Kingfisher
LC

Gray-headed Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Halcyon leucocephala

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Malachite Kingfisher
LC

Malachite Kingfisher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corythornis cristatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
LC

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Merops persicus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~40%
2 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
3 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
4 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
5 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
6 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
7 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
8 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
9 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
10 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
11 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
12 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
13 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
14 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
15 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
16 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
17 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
18 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
19 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
20 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
22 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
23 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
24 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
25 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
26 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
27 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
28 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
29 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
Insufficient data
30 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
31 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
32 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
33 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
34 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
35 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
36 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Rufous-crowned Roller in Etosha National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-crowned Roller sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 434 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Rufous-crowned Roller in Etosha National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Rufous-crowned Roller in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

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