lime-green bee-eater with a thin black mask edged with aquamarine blue. Bright yellow-and-red throat patch is small compared to many other bee-eaters. Somewhat similar to Blue-tailed Bee-eater; look out for less extensive blue around the eye on Blue-tailed, the namesake blue tail, and a larger orange throat patch compared to Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. Found in open areas as well as forests from lowlands up into middle elevations. Gives a pleasantly mellow call starting off with a ticking note, followed by a trill.
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green; its face has blue sides with a black eye stripe, and a yellow and brown throat; the beak is black. It can reach a length of 31 cm (12 in), with the two elongated central tail feathers adding another 7 cm (2.8 in). Sexes are mostly alike but the tail-streamers of the female are shorter.
The blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. The genus name Merops is Ancient Greek for "bee-eater", and persicus is Latin for "Persian".
#BlueCheekedBeeEater #MeropsPersicus #BeeEaterBird
12 сен 2024
