Coracias

Coracias is a genus of the rollers, an Old World family of near passerine birds related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups, blues and browns predominating. The two outer front toes are connected, but not the inner one. The generic name Coracias was used by Carl Linneaus in 1758 for birds with knife-shaped beaks and cartilaginous tongues. The Ancient Greek word korakías (κορακίας), derived from korax (κόραξ, ‘raven, crow’).Aristotle described the coracias as a bird as big as a crow with a red beak, which some believe to be the chough. Nine species are recognized: Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Coracias: Coracias rollers are watch-and wait hunters. They sit in a tree or on a post before descending on their prey and carrying it back in the beak to a perch before dismembering it. A wide range of terrestrial invertebrates, and small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards rodents and young birds, are taken. Their prey includes items avoided by many other birds, such as hairy caterpillars, insects with warning colouration and snakes. They often perch prominently whilst hunting, like giant shrikes.