- Merops variegatus
Identification
18–21 cm (7-8¼ in)
- Green crown and upperparts
- Broad black eye-stripe
- Dark purple throat patch
- White patches on side of neck, between green hindneck and yellow throat.
Similar Species
Slightly larger than Little Bee-eater, which lacks white by the throat patch.
Distribution
Africa:
Western Africa: Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Zaire
Eastern Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia
Taxonomy
Ethiopian Bee-eater was formerly included in this species.
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- M. v. loringi:
- M. v. variegatus:
- M. v. bangweoloensis:
Habitat
Long grass savannas and old fields, to reeds and papyrus swamps; usually occurs in more humid areas than Little Bee-eater.
Behaviour
Diet
They feed on a variety of flying insects, particularly bees. These are taken in flight when sallying out from a perch.
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/
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-breasted Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-breasted_Bee-eater
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
