LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER - South Africa

Today our spotlight shines on the Lilac Breasted Roller....one of the most beautiful birds on the planet, native to southern parts of Africa where they are common.  It is the National Bird of Kenya.

Lilac-breasted Rollers mate for life.  The Venda people of South Africa used its feathers as wedding bands, while the Afrikaaners (descendants of Dutch settlers) sewed feathers into wedding dresses.  In total, it has 8 colors:  green, white, black, yellow, turquoise, dark blue, reddish-brown and lilac.  People in Zimbabwe call this bird 'Mzilikiazi's Roller' after the 19th century Matabele king who used the bird's feathers in his headdresses. 

The Zulus used chains or ropes made from the feathers of the lilac-breasted roller to test a young couple's compatibility.  If a couple wanted to marry, they had to be tied together with a feathery chain.  Keeping that chain together tested the couple's ability to work together.  If the chain fell apart, they could not marry.

Average size 14.5 inches

In folklore, this colorful bird is a symbol of peace and reconciliation.  They are amazing fliers and are gorgeous in flight.  Rollers get their name from their impressive courtship flights where they fly upward and then tip forward with the wings closed, before flapping to gain speed toward the ground.  While leveling out at highest speed, it will roll to the left and right a few times. 

"The moment one gives close attention to anything,

 even a blade of grass, 

it becomes a mysterious,

 awesome, 

indescribably magnificent

 world in itself."