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24-26 cm. Green, blue sides to face, black eye stripe, yellow and brown throat, black bill, two elongated central tail feathers.<br /> | 24-26 cm. Green, blue sides to face, black eye stripe, yellow and brown throat, black bill, two elongated central tail feathers.<br /> | ||
Sexes alike. | Sexes alike. | ||
| + | ====Similar Species==== | ||
| + | Similar to [[Blue-tailed Bee-eater]] but note blue [[Topography#Heads|supercilium]]. Distinctly larger than [[Little Green Bee-eater]]. | ||
| + | [[Image:Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked.jpg|thumb|350px|right|<br />Photo by {{user|Samir_Mehta|Samir Mehta}}<br />Uran, Maharashtra, India; November 01, 2009]] | ||
==Distribution== | ==Distribution== | ||
[[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], eastern [[Turkey]] to [[Kazakhstan]]; winters in tropical [[Africa]]. | [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], eastern [[Turkey]] to [[Kazakhstan]]; winters in tropical [[Africa]]. | ||
Revision as of 16:10, 9 January 2010
- Merops persicus
Identification
24-26 cm. Green, blue sides to face, black eye stripe, yellow and brown throat, black bill, two elongated central tail feathers.
Sexes alike.
Similar Species
Similar to Blue-tailed Bee-eater but note blue supercilium. Distinctly larger than Little Green Bee-eater.
Distribution
Morocco, Algeria, eastern Turkey to Kazakhstan; winters in tropical Africa.
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
There are 2 subspecies:
- M. p. chrysocercus
- North-western Africa (south of the Atlas Mountains); Senegambia to Lake Chad
- M. p. persicus
Habitat
Desert oases, coastal mangroves, scrub, reed beds and farmland.
Behaviour
They hawk from exposed perches and overhead power lines.
Diet
The diet includes dragonflies, bees, wasps and hornets.
Breeding
They nest colonially in sandy banks, making a long tunnel. They lay 4-8 spherical white eggs which are incubated by both parents.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 22 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-cheeked_Bee-eater
