The display of this bird is an aerobatic display, with the twists and turns that give the Coraciidae its English name of "rollers". The bird bathes in open water by plunge-diving into it, a behaviour often interpreted as fishing. But it may occasionally attempt fishing from water.
During summer, they may also feed late in the evening and make use of artificial lights and feed on insects attracted to them. Its habit of feeding near roadsides sometimes results in collisions with traffic. A decline in the numbers of these birds seen along roadsides in northern India has been noted.
