This John Gerrard Keulemans licensed reprint print features a stunning illustration of a Blue Bellied Roller, a beautiful bird native to England. Measuring 17 inches by 21 inches once mounted and framed, this small print is perfect for any natural history enthusiast or bird lover. Produced using high-quality print techniques on paper, this artwork captures every intricate detail of the bird's plumage and will make a stunning addition to any art collection. The print is mounted and framed 14 inches x 21 inches in height by 2 inches in width.
Blue-bellied Roller
BLUE-BELLIED ROLLER, Coracias cyanogaster. Hand coloured lithograph by John Gerrard Keulemans, p1. 12 from H.E. Dresser's A Monograph of the Coraciidae, or the Family of the Rollers, 1893.
This is one of about seventeen species of birds collectively known as Rollers, of which about a dozen may be considered truly worthy of the name (which is derived from their acrobatic 'rolling' performances in the air, performances made the more spectacular by the lovely colours revealed when they spread their wings and tail feathers). Most of them live in Africa south of the Sahara while four species range eastwards to northern Australia and the Solomon group.
A solitary Roller is often seen sitting on an exposed branch waiting for the chance to seize an insect, a small rodent, a frog or a lizard, but many Rollers congregate from over a wide area to enjoy an aerial feast in company when flying ants or locusts are swarming. They usually nest in holes in trees but some species will excavate a hollow in tree-termite nests; two to four rounded whitish eggs make up the normal clutch.
The Blue-bellied Roller, which occurs from Senegal to Zaire and the Sudan, was originally described in 1806 by the French naturalist Levaillant as 'le Rollier a ventre bleu', suggesting that its 'rolling' activities were known at that time. The English-speaking residents of India and Africa often call them 'Blue jays'; in some respects Rollers do look like jays but they are unrelated. As usual, Keulemans has represented the bird in profile. This shows its essential features but only hints at the gorgeous colours it reveals when rolling in the air.