Lilac-breasted Roller

The Lilac-breasted Roller is territorial. It lives alone or in pairs, but is usually only seen on its own.

It noisily expresses its disapproval of intrusions and won't hesitate to oust other species from its territory.
It hunts from a perch, usually on top of a tree, shrub, post, or any other elevated support from which it can survey its surroundings. It has been known to perch on the back of a herbivore in the absence of suitable perches.
It dives for insects at ground level and often returns to the same perch to eat its prey.
It is drawn to fires, both natural and lit, with the edge of the fire providing fleeing and dead prey that it covets.
The Lilac-breasted Roller mostly travels by flight, even for short distances, as its short legs don't really allow it to walk and instead it only does so clumsily.
Its courtship displays include short flights, the birds leaving their perch only to return quickly before flying off again. They will rise about ten metres facing each other, then fall with their wings closed, do a loop with rapid beating of the wings to rise again turning. Just before mating, when they reach the peak of excitement, the mates will engage in a simulated battle.