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Difference between revisions of "Asian Green Bee-eater" - BirdForum Opus

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[[Image:green_bee-eater_alok_2.JPG|thumb|550px|right|Nominate Subspecies : breeding pair, male (right) giving food to female<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br /> Basai, Gurgaon, Haryana, [[India]], 24 April 2017]]
 
;[[:Category: Merops|Merops]] orientalis
 
;[[:Category: Merops|Merops]] orientalis
  
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[[Image:Greenbeeeater 3.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Scottishdude, aka, Jamie MacArthur.<br>Photo taken: [[Goa, India]].]]
 
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
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16-18cm.  Green upper parts, but the head and underpart colours vary widely depending on the subspecies. The wings are green and the beak is black. Sexes are alike.
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16-18cm (6¼-7 in)
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*Green upper parts
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:*Head and underpart colours vary according to subspecies
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*Wings with green coverts and rusty flight feathers having a black terminal band
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*Black beak and line through eye
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*Black line separating throat from upper breast
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*Long extensions on central tail feathers
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<br />
 +
Sexes similar, but female duller
 +
====Variation====
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Western birds are mainly green in both head and throat. There is an increasing level of rusty colors in the crown and upperside towards the east and especially in [[Sri Lanka]]. Western birds frequently have a narrow blue line under the black eye line, this become more noticeable further east. In the easternmost birds ([[Indochina]]) throat becomes yellowish in worn individuals. Underside buffy to whitish in Sri Lanka.  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
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Sub-Saharan [[Africa]], [[Senegal]], [[The Gambia]], [[Ethiopia]], the Nile valley, western [[Arabia]], [[Asia]], [[India]] and [[Vietnam]].  
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[[Asia]] from [[Iran]] to [[Vietnam]] and south to [[Sri Lanka]].  
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==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
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====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
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[[Image:Lgbe-3.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile, subspecies ''M. o. ferrugeiceps''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Nook|Nook}}<br />Na Ngua, Phetchabun, [[Thailand]], June 2017]]
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====Subspecies====
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[[Image:1B9A3472.gif|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''M. o. ferrugeiceps''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|nothinghill|nothinghill}}<br />[[Thailand]], January 2018]]
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There are 4 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
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* ''M. o. beludschicus'':
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:*From the north end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and western [[India]]
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* ''M. o. orientalis'':
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:*western [[India]] (Rann of Kutch) east to [[Bangladesh]] and south through the Indian peninsula
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* ''M. o. ceylonicus''
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:*[[Sri Lanka]]
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* ''M. o. ferrugeiceps'':
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:*From Assam and [[Myanmar]] to [[Vietnam]]
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==Habitat==
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Around water bodies, river sides, open cultivated areas, scrub forests, parks and gardens, open woodland.
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==Behaviour==
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====Diet====
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They catch bees and other insects in flight and retun to the same perch to batter them to remove the sting before eating.
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====Breeding====
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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.
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====Vocalisation====
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{{ Audio|green_bee_eater_call.mp3 }}
  
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Merops orientalis viridissimus Savanna of [[Senegal]] to [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]] and w [[Sudan]]
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Recording by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />
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Nazafgarh Wetlands, Gurgaon, Haryana, [[India]], March-2015<br />
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Merops orientalis flavoviridis Subdesert steppes of [[Chad]] to [[Red Sea]] coast of [[Sudan]]
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A pair,  ssp. ''orientalis'', calling while examining a mud-embankment for possible nesting site, early summer-time.
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==Gallery==
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Merops orientalis cleopatra Nile Valley (Lake Nasser to delta)
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Click on photo for larger image
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<gallery>
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Merops orientalis cyanophrys Arabian Peninsula
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Image:green_bee_eater_alok_3.JPG|Juvenile, nominate subspecies<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />Manger Bani Forest, Aravali Hills, Gurgaon, Haryana, [[India]], June-2018
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Image:DSC00014.JPG|Juvenile developing extended tail feathers <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Shantilal+Varu|Shantilal Varu}}<br />Kutch, Gujarat, [[India]], 4 August 2019
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Merops orientalis najdanus Central Arabian plateau
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</gallery>
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thOct22}}#{{Ref-GillDonskerRasmussen22V13.1}}#Kirwan, G. M., H. Fry, and P. F. D. Boesman (2022). Asian Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (G. M. Kirwan, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnbee3.01
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#AvianWeb
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#BF Member observations
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{{ref}}
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==External Links==
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<div style="margin:2px; padding:5px; border:1px solid #CCC; text-align: center; background-color: #FFFF99; clear:both"> [[Image:Icon_camera_link.png]] [https://www.birdforum.net/search/?type=xfmg_media&q=%22Merops+orientalis%22+|+%22Green+Bee-eater%22&o=date&c%5Bcategories%5D%5B0%5D=528&c%5Bchild_categories%5D=1 Search for photos of {{PAGENAME}} in the gallery] </div>
  
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Merops orientalis beludschicus North end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and w [[India]]
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<br />
  
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Merops orientalis orientalis Rann of Kutch to [[Bangladesh]] and [[Sri Lanka]]
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<div style="margin:2px; padding:5px; border:1px solid #CCC; text-align: center; background-color: #98CDE3; clear:both"> [[Image:Icon_camera_link.png]] [https://www.birdforum.net/search/?type=xfmg_media&q=%22Merops+orientalis%22+|+%22Green+Bee-eater%22+video+-viewvideo+-%22video+still%22&o=date&c%5Bcategories%5D%5B0%5D=528&c%5Bchild_categories%5D=1 Search for videos of {{PAGENAME}} in the gallery] </div>
  
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Merops orientalis ferrugeiceps Assam and [[Myanmar]] to [[Vietnam]]
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<!--EDITORS: this is a complex individualised search to eliminate non-Asian Green Bee-eater species-->
  
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==Habitat==
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{{GS-checked}}1
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Open country with bushes.
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<br />
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<br />
  
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==Behaviour==
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Merops]] [[Category:Bird Songs]]
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Diet includes insects, especially bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air. Before eating its meal, a bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface.
 
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Nest are made in a tunnel in sandy banks.  4 to 8 spherical white eggs are laid and incubated by both the male and the female.
 
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==External Links==
 
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{{GSearch|Merops+orientalis}}
 
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*[http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/birdimages.php?action=birdspecies&Bird_ID=360&Bird_Image_ID=1774&Bird_Family_ID=74 View more images of this species on Orientalbirdimages]
 
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Merops]]
 

Latest revision as of 18:59, 1 November 2023

Nominate Subspecies : breeding pair, male (right) giving food to female
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Basai, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, 24 April 2017
Merops orientalis

Identification

16-18cm (6¼-7 in)

  • Green upper parts
  • Head and underpart colours vary according to subspecies
  • Wings with green coverts and rusty flight feathers having a black terminal band
  • Black beak and line through eye
  • Black line separating throat from upper breast
  • Long extensions on central tail feathers


Sexes similar, but female duller

Variation

Western birds are mainly green in both head and throat. There is an increasing level of rusty colors in the crown and upperside towards the east and especially in Sri Lanka. Western birds frequently have a narrow blue line under the black eye line, this become more noticeable further east. In the easternmost birds (Indochina) throat becomes yellowish in worn individuals. Underside buffy to whitish in Sri Lanka.

Distribution

Asia from Iran to Vietnam and south to Sri Lanka.

Taxonomy

Juvenile, subspecies M. o. ferrugeiceps
Photo © by Nook
Na Ngua, Phetchabun, Thailand, June 2017

Subspecies

Subspecies M. o. ferrugeiceps
Photo © by nothinghill
Thailand, January 2018

There are 4 subspecies[1]:

  • M. o. beludschicus:
  • From the north end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and western India
  • M. o. orientalis:
  • western India (Rann of Kutch) east to Bangladesh and south through the Indian peninsula
  • M. o. ceylonicus
  • M. o. ferrugeiceps:

Habitat

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

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.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

  • Juvenile, nominate subspecies
    Photo © by Alok Tewari
    Manger Bani Forest, Aravali Hills, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, June-2018

  • Juvenile developing extended tail feathers
    Photo © by Shantilal Varu
    Kutch, Gujarat, India, 4 August 2019

References

  1. 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/
  2. 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/
  3. Kirwan, G. M., H. Fry, and P. F. D. Boesman (2022). Asian Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (G. M. Kirwan, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnbee3.01
  4. AvianWeb
  5. BF Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links



GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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