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Difference between revisions of "Blue-cheeked Bee-eater" - BirdForum Opus

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Similar to [[Blue-tailed Bee-eater]] but note blue [[Topography#Heads|supercilium]]. Distinctly larger than [[Little Green Bee-eater]].
 
Similar to [[Blue-tailed Bee-eater]] but note blue [[Topography#Heads|supercilium]]. Distinctly larger than [[Little Green Bee-eater]].
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
[[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], eastern [[Turkey]] to [[Kazakhstan]]; winters in tropical [[Africa]].  
+
[[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], eastern [[Turkey]] to [[Kazakhstan]] and North-western India; winters in tropical [[Africa]].
 +
 
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
 
====Subspecies====
 
====Subspecies====

Revision as of 11:33, 18 May 2017

Photo by MikeB.
Cuango valley, northern Angola, March 2005
Merops persicus

Identification

Immature
Photo by Alok Tewari
Delhi, India, Aug. 2016

31 cm (12 in)

  • Green plumage
  • 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 and North-western India; winters in tropical Africa.

Taxonomy

Subspecies


Photo by Samir Mehta
Uran, Maharashtra, India; November 2009

There are 2 subspecies[1]:

  • M. p. chrysocercus
  • M. p. persicus
  • Egypt to Lake Balkhash, Hindu Kush and North-western India; winters to southern Africa

Habitat

Dry semi desert areas, desert oases, coastal mangroves, scrub, reed beds and farmland.

Behaviour

They hawk from exposed perches and overhead power lines.

Diet

The African subspecies mostly eat dragonflies, whereas the Asian birds include bees, wasps and hornets too.

Breeding

Photo by Vijayashankara
Sohar, Oman, April 2014

They nest colonially in sandy banks, making a long tunnel. They lay 4-8 spherical white eggs which are incubated by both parents.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2015)
  3. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links


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