Coracias garrulus.

The European Roller is one of the most colourful birds. It is truly a unique element in the plain. In Serbia, it is amongst the most endangered bird species. The population is under a critical level.Our main goals are to survey and list precisely the present day population, to enlarge the nesting possibilities of the European Roller by placing nesting boxes and therefore to increase and strengthen the population. We would like to list the main perilous factors. This list will become a basis for a more efficient protection. We especially want to direct our attention to the listing of the dangerous un-insulated power line pylons.

Marked European Roller chicks with coloured rings.

The advertisement of the project would last from the beginning to the end of the project with which we would draw the attention to the importance of the European Roller’s protection, to the necessary steps we should take for the protection, to the development of a nature-friendly way of thinking and to the moderate application of pesticides.

With the organisation of lectures for local residents and students we could increase the number of those people who are interested in the protection of nature and birds. We encourage farmers to apply traditional farming methods, to advance pasturing, to use pesticides and other chemicals moderately and to plant solitary trees or groups of trees, which plantations would help the situation of the European Roller in the long run. By the organisation of educational lectures we hope to increase the number of nature-lovers and environmentalists who can participate in the European Roller’s protection in the future. By marking the birds with colour rings and following them with geolocators we can gain information about the European Roller’s migration routes and migration habits. Our field-survey activities, the precise estimation of the present-day population and the active observation of the species help to specify and plan the necessary steps for protection in the future.