- Merops viridis
Includes: Rufous-crowned Bee-eater
Identification
21 cm (8¼ in); streamers, a further 9 cm (3½ in)
- Brown head, nape and upper back
- Blue throat
- 9cm long central tail streamers
Sexes similar
Juvenile
- Green cap and throat
- Lacks elongated central feathers
Distribution
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, Borneo, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra, Java
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 2 subspecies[1]:
- M. v. viridis:
- M. v. americanus:
- Philippine Islands - sometimes accepted as full species, Rufous-crowned Bee-eater
Habitat
Forest edge, open country and grassland, woodland, scrub, coastal areas and gardens.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes bees, wasps, hornets, ants, dragonflies, grasshoppers, small lizards and fish.
Breeding
They nest in an earth bank, preferring sandy soil. The clutch consists of 3-6 white eggs which are incubated by both parents.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Photo by Romy Ocon
Subic Bay rainforest, Zambales, Philippines, April, 2005
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-throated Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-throated_Bee-eater
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
