Indian Roller–Karnataka’s State Bird
The Indian Roller is one bird that is very easily spotted in nearly all corners of India. When it is perched on a branch, it looks pretty, but not spectacular, but when it is in flight, its beautiful blue wings are known to captivate all birders.
The Indian Roller is such a pretty sight when it is flying that a lot of my birder and photographer friends try to disturb it and make it fly. Well, this action goes against my conscience as we are disturbing the bird, but I generally give in as this allows me to see it in its true colours.
In this case, my friends were not with me, and this Indian Roller chose to fly without us disturbing it. The bird was pretty far away and hence this is the closest I could go with my 100-400 lens. The green landscape in the background just forms the perfect contrast for the blue jay (another name for the Indian Roller).
For all those who do not know, the Indian Roller is also Karnataka’s State Bird. I spotted these birds during a jungle safari into Kabini and Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka, India.
