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Species › Birds

European Roller

Coracias garrulus

Order
Coraciiformes
Family
Coraciidae
Presence in the Strait
Migrant
Abundance
scarce
Protection in Spain
Special protection (List)
In Spanish
Carraca europea

39% of its open observations in the area are from August.

Photograph: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length
30–32 cm
Wingspan
66–73 cm
Weight
140 g
020406080LENGTH30–32 cmWINGSPAN66–73 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Scarce migrant.

Identification

Jackdaw-sized, blue with reddish-brown back. Large head and strong black bill. In flight, blackish primaries contrast with blue wing-coverts; slow and powerful wing-beat. Juveniles have duller colours and their blue feathers tinged brown.

Movements

Peaks in 2nd hf. April and 1st hf. August. Prenuptial migration is very conspicuous on the African coast and postnuptial migration on the European coast.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.