Chestnut-headed Bee-eater - BirdForum Opus

Photo by cskhaw
Penang, Malaysia

Merops leschenaulti

Identification

18-20cm

• Green plumage
• Blue rump and lower belly
• Yellow face and throat
• Black eye stripe
• Rich chestnut crown and nape
• Thin, black curved bill
  

Sexes alike, but juveniles are duller

Distribution

Asia: found in China, Nepal, India, Andaman Islands, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Greater Sundas, Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sundas and Bali.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

• M. l. leschenaulti:

• Sri Lanka and south-western India to Thailand, Indochina and Malay Peninsula

• M. l. andamanensis:

• Andaman Islands

• M. l. quinticolor:

• Java and Bali

Habitat

Quite varied from deciduous lowland forest edges and clearings, open fields and plantations to coastal scrub. Can be found up to 1800 meters.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes bees, wasps, hornets and insects, caught aerially.

Breeding

They nest colonially in a long tunnel in sandy banks. The clutch consists of 5-6 white eggs which are tended by both adults.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia
4. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Chestnut-headed Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Chestnut-headed_Bee-eater

External Links

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