African Lilac Breasted Roller

nature photography / impressionism l This beautiful yet feisty bird may be Africa’s most colorful. The national bird of Botswana and Kenya, it often perches on treetops by the roadside ready to pounce on rodents and insects moving about on the ground. An aggressive little fluff, it is also known for its rolling flight pattern -- dipping and diving from high in the sky in torpedo-like motion.