This is an aerobatic display bird, with the twists and turns that give this species its English name. The breeding season starts from March to June, to some extent earlier in southern India. The bird displays when perched include bill-up displays, bowing, “allopreening”, wing drooping, and tail fanning.

The holes created by woodpeckers or wood-boring insects in palms are favored for nesting in a few areas. Moreover, nest cavities may also be made by tearing open rotten tree trunks or cavities in buildings. The cavity is typically unlined and is made up mostly of debris from the wood.

The normal clutch contains 3 to 5 eggs, which are normally white and broad oval or nearly spherical. Both males and females incubate the eggs for about 17 to 19 days. The young bird fledges and leaves the nest after nearly a month. Nearly 80% of the eggs hatch and fledge. The call of the Indian roller is a harsh crow-like “chack” sound. It also makes a variety of other sounds, including metallic “boink” calls.

It is particularly vociferous during the breeding season and the bird bathes in open water by plunge-diving into it, a behavior often interpreted as fishing. But it may sporadically attempt fishing from water. Moreover adding its chopped feathers to grass and feeding them to cows was supposed to increase their milk yield. The Indian roller has been selected as the state bird by the Indian states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha.