Alternative name: Little Green Bee-eater
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Basai, Gurgaon, Haryana, India, April-2017
- 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
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
There are 8 subspecies[1]:
- M. o. viridissimus :
- M. o. flavoviridis:
- M. o. cleopatra:
- Nile Valley (Lake Nasser to delta)
- M. o. cyanophrys:
- Arabian Peninsula
- M. o. najdanus:
- Central Arabian plateau
- M. o. beludschicus:
- From the north end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and western India
- M. o. orientalis:
- From the Rann of Kutch to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
- 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
Listen in an external program
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.
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
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- AvianWeb
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Green Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 January 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Green_Bee-eater
External Links
