Slovakia is the only country in Europe where the European Roller (Coracias garrulus) has returned to breed after being locally extinct for 10 years—thanks largely to dedicated conservation efforts.
The species was the main focus at the “European Roller International Meeting – Roller’s Situation in Europe,” held on 21 November 2023 in Warsaw, Poland. The event, organized by OTOP/BirdLife Poland, brought together ornithologists to discuss population trends, protection strategies, and the future of this iconic bird.
Our presentation on the Roller’s comeback in Slovakia was eagerly anticipated by representatives from countries where the species is on the verge of extinction or already gone.
Did you know that Hungary now boasts an impressive 2,500 breeding pairs of European Rollers? This success story is a result of systematic habitat management, nest box deployment, and continued grazing of steppic grasslands by livestock. Similar conservation actions are underway in Serbia and parts of Romania, with similarly promising outcomes.
By contrast, countries like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Austria are witnessing the species’ final decline, with only a few pairs remaining. The main reasons: habitat degradation, loss of nesting sites, and the abandonment of traditional grazing.
In Slovakia, the Roller’s return in 2020 amazed many, with participants eager to learn the key factors: nest boxes and restored grazing in the Medzibodrožie SPAs. Equally vital was the stabilization of the core Roller population in the Pannonian region, made possible by conservation projects in Hungary, Serbia, and Romania. The presence of a color-ringed Roller that hatched in Hungary and bred in Slovakia proved this transboundary success.
The LIFE21-NAT-SK-LIFE 4 STEPPE BIRDS project supports Roller and steppe bird conservation through the installation of 800 nest boxes, the creation of 140 hectares of new grasslands, and the reintroduction of grazing over 700 hectares. These measures aim to facilitate the return of Rollers to historical breeding sites in southern Slovakia.