- Merops breweri
Identification
28 cm (11 in); tail 6 cm (2¼ in)
- Black head
- Green wings and back
- Green and cinnamon upperparts
- Dark cinnamon underparts
- Long central tail feathers
Distribution
Africa:
Western Africa: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Open secondary growth, plantations, forest edges and clearings.
Behaviour
Hunts from an open perch - feeding and roosting communally.
Diet
This species specialises in "stinging" insects. The sting is removed by banging the insect against a hard surface. They also eat chafers and beetles, particularly dung beetles.
Breeding
These birds nest colonially in tunnels in sandy banks; the eggs are white.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2017)
- Avianweb
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-headed Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-headed_Bee-eater
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
