Roller at First Light

The Indian roller (Coracias benghalensis) can seem understated — a stocky bird with a turquoise crown, a streaky cinnamon throat, and wings folded to a quiet wash of blue. Till it takes flight – its wings open into dazzling bands of navy and pale blue, the tail fanning out in ribbons of turquoise.

The “roller” comes from the male’s tumbling, somersaulting breeding display. Across much of India it is the Neelkanth — the “blue-throated one”, a name it shares with Lord Shiva, and auspicious to sight during Dussehra.

I spotted this one while driving through the Kabini forest. It sat perched just a few feet above the ground, quite still — waiting, as I was, to catch the light from the first rays of the rising sun.