The European roller is one of Europe's most colourful birds, declining rapidly as traditional farmland and open woodland are lost across its southern European range.
European rollers face welfare impacts at every stage of their cycle. Prey scarcity from pesticide use means parents must range further to provision chicks, increasing brood starvation risk during hot dry summers. Nest site loss forces birds into suboptimal cavities. On African wintering grounds, further habitat loss and pesticide use reduces prey abundance. The long-distance migration itself exposes birds to hunting pressure in parts of the Mediterranean.