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Asian Green Bee-eater - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 21:45, 5 June 2017 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (Picture of juvenile subspecies. Layout adjustments)
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Alternative name: Little Green Bee-eater

Photo by Scottishdude
Goa, India, March 2009
Merops orientalis


Identification

16-18cm (6¼-7 in)

  • Green upper parts
  • Head and underpart colours vary according to subspecies
  • Green wings
  • Black beak

Sexes similar

Distribution

Photo by Simonph
Dubai, UAE, December 2004

Africa, Middle East and Asia:
Northern Africa: Libya, Egypt
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda
Middle East: Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran
Asia: Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Immature, Ssp. orientalis
Photo by Alok Tewari
Gurgaon, Haryana, India, June 2015

There are 8 subspecies[1]:

  • M. o. viridissimus :
  • M. o. flavoviridis:
  • Subdesert steppes of Chad to Red Sea coast of Sudan
  • M. o. cleopatra:
  • Nile Valley (Lake Nasser to delta)
  • M. o. cyanophrys:
  • M. o. najdanus:
  • Central Arabian plateau
  • M. o. beludschicus:
  • From the north end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and western India
  • M. o. orientalis:
  • M. o. ferrugeiceps:

Habitat

Juvenile, subspecies ferrugeiceps
Photo by Nook
Na Ngua, Phetchabun, Thailand, June 2017

Around water bodies, river sides, open cultivated areas, scrub forests, parks and gardens, open woodland.

Behaviour

Diet

They catch bees and other insects in flight and retun to the same perch to batter them to remove the sting before eating.

Breeding

Nests are made in a tunnel in sandy banks. The 4 to 8 spherical white eggs are incubated by both the male and the female.

Vocalisation

<flashmp3>green_bee_eater_call.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Nazafgarh Wetlands, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, March-2015
A pair, ssp. orientalis, calling while examining a mud-embankment for possible nesting site, early summer-time.

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. Avibase
  3. AvianWeb
  4. BF Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links


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