Trends and threats

Breeds throughout temperate, steppe, and Mediterranean zones enjoying reliable warm summer climates, predominantly a lowlands species, but ascends in Moroccan High Atlas to 2000 m: in Caucasus no higher than 800–1000 m and in central Europe only to that level in isolated cases, 400–600 m being normal limit. Normally avoids deserts, semi-deserts, and treeless grasslands, and shows no attachment to water but will inhabit lines or groups of poplars. The estimated global population is between 200.000-700.000, and the 50-74% of this, 55.000-117,000 pairs breed in Europe, and 13,000-25,000 breeding pairs in the EU 27.
Following a moderate decline during 1970-1990, the species has continued to decline by up to 25% across Europe during 1990-2000. Extinct from Gemany, Danmark, Sweden, Finnland and Czech Republic. Nowdays, we found just very small population in numerous countries, 5 pairs breed in Burgerland, 0-1 in Slovakia (no breeding pairs in 2010), disappeared from Croatia and Slovenia.

The 1000 pairs of Hungarian population is a stable and important part of the European Roller population. Until 1950s, Roller was a common bird species in Hungary, except the mountins and closed forests, it was widespread in the country, including the Transdanubien region,too.
From the middle of 1970s the population decline accelerated, in the begining of 1980s all breeding pairs desappeared from Transdanubien region, only some birds was observed during migration. Nowdays, it desapeared from the big part of former breeding area, bigger populations maintained in Hevesi-sík, Borsodi mezőség, Jászság, Kiskunság, and southeastern Hungary. The breeding population was estimated at 400-700 pairs (1995-2002), and showed 1-20% decline trend. Due to nest-box installation, in 2007, 1000 pair was recorded by ornithologists. In Csongrád county, the nest-box installation started from 1988. Due to this activity, now the population is about 200 pairs.

Threats

Changes of European Roller’s habitats made drastic effects to the native population in the past century. This tendency was typical in other european countries too. It’s very difficult to identify which was the bigger problem for the species; it’s feeding or breeding places changes/ disappearance or both in equal rate. It was proved that different agricultural fields makes different effects to Rollers’ breeding succes. (Avilés 2004). It’s generally known fact that Rollers can be re-settled by artificial nest-boxes where they diasappeared before. The Hungarian population’s decreasing has stopped and shows slow increasing in some region because of the conversation work.

The next threats can be dangerous for the Rollers:

• The loss of the suitable breeding places: loss of old trees or groves with hollows for Roller’s nests.
• Reduction of feeding places: reduction of grasses, stop of grazing on suitable pastures and occupation of the locked forests.
• Electric shock. Rollers prefer sitting on electric-wires to hunt because it’s very good places getting their food over the feeding places. 
• Poisoning: pesticides can effected poisoning and devastation indirectly for adult and young birds. It can be a serious problem breeding and wintering places too. 
• Migrating: It has a lots of troubles as hunting, illegal cathing and degradation of habitats, loss of places because of the deserts’ expansion. 
• Running over: it’s dangerousmainly for feeding birds

Literature:

• Cramp, S., Perrins, C.M., Brooks, D.J. (szerk) 1993. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa-birds of the Western Palearctic Volume 7. Oxford University Press
• Haraszty, L. (szerk.) 1998. Magyarország fészkelő madarai Mezőgazda Kiadó, Budapest
• http://www.iucnredlist.org