- Merops lafresnayii
Identification
16.5-21 cm
- Green upperparts
- Chestnut to cinnamon underside
- Head with black mask surrounding the lower half of the eye
- Blue supercilium from well rear of the eye going around the front
- Yellow throat with white at the rear
- Throat and breast separated by a blue to purple band
Young birds:
- Similar upperside
- Similar head except that the blue supercilium may be invisible
- Green below throat and on breast
- Yellowish buff on rest of underparts
Distribution
Africa: Ethiopia to Sudan (Boma Hills)
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
This species was formerly included in Blue-breasted Bee-eater.
Habitat
Grassy areas with light woodland or edges; prefers wetter areas than Little Bee-eater.
Behaviour
Catches air-born prey (mainly insects) sallying out from perches.
Vocalisation
A high pitch three-note pattern is characteristic.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.1)_red. Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.1. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Kirwan, G. M., H. Fry, and P. F. D. Boesman (2022). Ethiopian Bee-eater (Merops lafresnayii), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bubbee2.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Ethiopian Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ethiopian_Bee-eater
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
