Conservation of the

European Roller in France

In the Vallee des Baux, A Rocha France has been leading the way for many years to protect one of the most beautiful birds in Europe. The European Roller Coracias garrulus has stunning azure plumage and a wingspan of 70 cm. Every year they fly 6,000 km from southern Africa across the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea to southern and eastern Europe to nest and raise their young.

Once very abundant, the roller has declined by more than 20%, and is now near-threatened with extinction. Protected at the European level by the Birds Directive, its trade has also been banned globally by the CITES Convention, which regulates the trade in endangered species, since 2014.

An indicator species for good agricultural practices

The roller is an excellent bioindicator of sustainable agriculture. It uses natural cavities created by woodpeckers for nesting. Its need for large insects for food is not compatible with insecticide-intensive agriculture. Its use of wooded areas for nesting and open areas for hunting make it an indicator of agricultural mosaics. A charismatic and easily spotted species, its presence is accompanied by that of many other declining species that share the same ecological needs, such as the Little Owl Athene noctua, Hoopoe Upupa epops, and shrikes.

A Rocha’s contribution to the
presence of the European Roller

Since 2002, A Rocha France has set up a network of 50 nest boxes, planted hedges and installed perches in the Vallée des Baux de Provence. Our expertise on best practice for European Roller conservation is now recognized at the national level, thanks to the support of the Ministry of the Environment since 2010, and work is extending across France. At an international level, we have participated in several conferences, helped to co-write the European Species Action Plan for the conservation of the roller and developed partnerships with several universities and laboratories.

Our Scientific Manager, Timothée Schwartz, has written a doctoral thesis on the European Roller in partnership with the Tour du Valat Foundation and the Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology.

His work focuses on comparing artificial and natural shelters to give recommendations for good conservation practice. This work is also relevant to other threatened species that use artificial shelters: reptiles such as the Ocellated Lizard, bats and other birds.

Download the report comparing artificial nest boxes and natural cavities used by the roller

Read more about the project on the A Rocha France website 

Watch a video of the European Roller

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