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

Revision as of 21:24, 5 February 2018

Alternative name: Little Green Bee-eater

Subspecies orientalis
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

Subspecies cyanophrys
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 :

Savanna of Senegal to Eritrea, Ethiopia and western Sudan

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:

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:

From Assam and Myanmar to Vietnam

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

Photo by nothinghill
Thailand, January 2018

<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

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibase
AvianWeb
BF Member observations

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Asian Green Bee-eater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 18 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asian_Green_Bee-eater

External Links

Search for photos of Asian Green Bee-eater in the gallery

Search for videos of Asian Green Bee-eater on BirdForum TV

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+'''Alternative name: Little Green Bee-eater'''
+[[Image:Greenbeeeater 3.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Subspecies ''orientalis''<br />Photo by {{user|Scottishdude|Scottishdude}}<br /> Goa, [[India]], March 2009]]
 ;[[:Category: Merops|Merops]] orientalis
-[[Image:Greenbeeeater 3.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by Scottishdude, aka, Jamie MacArthur.<br>Photo taken: [[Goa, India]].]]
 ==Identification==
--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.
+-18cm (6¼-7 in)
+*Green upper parts
+:*Head and underpart colours vary according to subspecies
+*Green wings
+*Black beak<br />
+Sexes similar
 ==Distribution==
-Sub-Saharan [[Africa]], [[Senegal]], [[The Gambia]], [[Ethiopia]], the Nile valley, western [[Arabia]], [[Asia]], [[India]] and [[Vietnam]].
+[[Image:15842Bee eaters.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''cyanophrys''<br />Photo by {{user|Simonph|Simonph}}<br />Dubai, [[UAE]], December 2004]]
+[[Africa]], [[Middle East]] and [[Asia]]:<br />
+'''Northern Africa''': [[Libya]], [[Egypt]]<br />
+'''Western Africa''': [[Mauritania]], [[Senegambia]], [[Senegal]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Mali]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Ghana]], [[Benin]], [[Nigeria]], [[Niger]], [[Chad]], [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Equatorial Guinea]]<br />
+'''Eastern Africa''': [[Sudan]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]], [[Uganda]]<br />
+'''Middle East''': [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], [[Arabian Peninsula]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Yemen]], [[Oman]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Iraq]], [[Iran]]<br />
+'''Asia''': [[Afghanistan]], [[China]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]], [[India]], Eastern and Western [[Himalayas]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Bhutan]]<br />
+'''Southeast Asia''': [[Indochina]], [[Myanmar]], [[Laos]], [[Vietnam]], [[Cambodia]], [[Thailand]]
 ==Taxonomy==
-====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
+====Subspecies====
+[[Image:green_bee_eater_alok.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Immature, Ssp. ''orientalis''<br />Photo by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />Gurgaon, Haryana, [[India]], June 2015]]
-Merops orientalis viridissimus		Savanna of [[Senegal]] to [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]] and w [[Sudan]]
+There are 8 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+* ''M. o. viridissimus''	:
-Merops orientalis flavoviridis		Subdesert steppes of [[Chad]] to [[Red Sea]] coast of [[Sudan]]
+:*Savanna of [[Senegal]] to [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]] and western [[Sudan]]
+* ''M. o. flavoviridis'':
-Merops orientalis cleopatra		Nile Valley (Lake Nasser to delta)
+:*Subdesert steppes of [[Chad]] to Red Sea coast of [[Sudan]]
+* ''M. o. cleopatra'':
-Merops orientalis cyanophrys	Arabian Peninsula
+:*Nile Valley (Lake Nasser to delta)
+* ''M. o. cyanophrys'':
-Merops orientalis najdanus		Central Arabian plateau
+:*[[Arabia|Arabian]] Peninsula
+* ''M. o. najdanus'':
-Merops orientalis beludschicus	North end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and w [[India]]
+:*Central Arabian plateau
+* ''M. o. beludschicus'':
-Merops orientalis orientalis		Rann of Kutch to [[Bangladesh]] and [[Sri Lanka]]
+:*From the north end of Persian Gulf to Baluchistan and western [[India]]
+* ''M. o. orientalis'':
-Merops orientalis ferrugeiceps	Assam and [[Myanmar]] to [[Vietnam]]
+:*From the Rann of Kutch to [[Bangladesh]] and [[Sri Lanka]]
+* ''M. o. ferrugeiceps'':
+:*From Assam and [[Myanmar]] to [[Vietnam]]
 ==Habitat==
-Open country with bushes.
+[[Image:Lgbe-3.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile, subspecies ''ferrugeiceps''<br />Photo by {{user|Nook|Nook}}<br />Na Ngua, Phetchabun, [[Thailand]], June 2017]]
+Around water bodies, river sides, open cultivated areas, scrub forests, parks and gardens, open woodland.
 ==Behaviour==
-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.
+====Diet====
+They catch bees and other insects in flight and retun to the same perch to batter them to remove the sting before eating.
-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.
+====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====
+[[Image:1B9A3472.gif|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|nothinghill|nothinghill}}<br />[[Thailand]], January 2018]]
+<flashmp3>green_bee_eater_call.mp3</flashmp3><br />
+''[[Media: green_bee_eater_call.mp3|Listen in an external program]]''<br />
+Recording by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />
+Nazafgarh Wetlands, Gurgaon, Haryana, [[India]], March-2015<br />
+A pair,  ssp. ''orientalis'', calling while examining a mud-embankment for possible nesting site, early summer-time.
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug17}}#Avibase
+#AvianWeb
+#BF Member observations
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
 {{GSearch|Merops+orientalis}}
-*[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]
+<br />
-[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Merops]]
+{{Video|Green_Bee-eater}}
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Merops]] [[Category:Videos]] [[Category:Bird Songs]]