- Merops leschenaulti
Identification
18-20cm
- Green plumage
- Blue rump and lower belly
- Yellow face and throat
- Black eye stripe
- Rich chestnut crown and nape
- Thin, black curved bill
Sexes alike, but juveniles are duller
Distribution
Asia: found in China, Nepal, India, Andaman Islands, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sundas and Bali.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- M. l. leschenaulti:
- Sri Lanka and south-western India to Thailand, Indochina and Malay Peninsula
- M. l. andamanensis:
- M. l. quinticolor:
Habitat
Quite varied from deciduous lowland forest edges and clearings, open fields and plantations to coastal scrub. Can be found up to 1800 meters.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes bees, wasps, hornets and insects, caught aerially.
Breeding
They nest colonially in a long tunnel in sandy banks. The clutch consists of 5-6 white eggs which are tended by both adults.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Chestnut-headed Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-headed_Bee-eater
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
