Carmine bee-eaters sometimes perch on the backs of animals like ostriches, antelope or camels, waiting for the prey that the animals disturb as they move through the bush. The Australian bee-eater Merops ornatus is a related species found from Australia up to New Guinea and the neighboring islands. Also known as the rainbow bird, this is the only bee-eater found in Australia. Like the carmine bee-eater, rainbow birds are gregarious and feed on insects by catching them in flight. Unlike bee-eaters, however, rollers usually take prey from the ground.
Rollers get their name from their acrobatic flight, often rolling over and somersaulting in midair.
It catches insects and other small animals by swooping down from its perch on a tree trunk or branch. The European roller Coracias garrulus lives from the Mediterreanean across to Siberia, inhabiting open forest and farmland. During the winter months these rollers fly south to tropical Africa. European rollers eat mainly insects, which they catch in a similar manner to the raquet-tailed roller.