The European roller... Who remembers the sky-blue bird with a maroon back today? As early as the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, the king resisted the seduction of the divine Ishtar – knowing the fate of her former lovers, including the colourful “Little Shepherd” bird, which she struck, breaking his wing. In the Slovak environment, the theme of the European roller symbolising his vanishing youth was part of the story of the adolescent Jerguš Lapin. The European roller, about the size of a turtle-dove, is the only representative of its species in Europe. Staying faithful to the conditions in savannah woodlands of...