It is known for its small size, unique sound, slender body, and bright plumage as well as for being one of the most beautiful birds. It is found in a variety of wooded areas throughout sub-Saharan Africa, western Arabia, and east Asia. Although it’s in no danger of extinction, it is experiencing a decline in its native habitat as well as populations of its main prey, honeybees.
True to its name, 80% of its diet consists of honeybees.
Although it is not known to migrate, it does travel seasonally due to rainfall.
The green bee-eater is a natural-born bee-killer.
It has predator-avoidance behavior with “theory of mind” awareness usually only found in humans and other primates.
Green bee-eaters find several habitat types from Mauritania to central China, including the Nile River and the Himalayas. Other countries include Greece, Senegal, Gambia, Egypt, Iran, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Its habitat is forest, grassland, and thin scrub.
The best place to find green bee-eaters is arid areas, plains, savannahs, scrub, grasslands, open forests, fields, and farmlands in parts of Africa and Asia. They can even be seen perched on television antennae in urban and suburban neighborhoods. They are also visitors in some parts of Pakistan, flying there during the summer, making riverside habitats in southern India or high ones in the Himalayas. The social birds roost in numbers from 30 to 300 and usually dust-bathe in groups of 20. Remember that they roost high in trees and have a unique sound.
Green bee-eaters typically nest in May or June. Their nests are in the hollows of sandbanks or mud banks which both sexes create by digging tunnels or burrows, which are 2-3 feet deep and can be up to 5 feet long (1-2m). The tunnels in Africa are dug into flat ground or gentle slopes, while in Asia they are dug into low shores. The females lay 3-8 eggs on the bare ground at the end of the tunnel, in a cavity measuring about 15cm (5.9in).
There are 26 subspecies of green bee-eater. Its scientific name is Merops orientalis. The bee-eater family Meropidae has three genera, one of them being the large genus Merops.
The little green bee-eater has a size of about 9 inches (16-19cm) including 2 inches of long central tail-feathers. It has a wingspan of 29-49cm (11.4-19.3in) and a weight of 15-25g.
Bright emerald green is its main color, but several species have partial red, yellow, blue, or purple coloring depending on the region. There are also variations such as a rusty crown and bright blue throat as well as leucistic individuals. A similar species based on grouping by plumage features is Merops leschenaulti, with subspecies Merops orientalis ferrugeiceps being most similar.
Generally, however, there is blue on the chin and throat, with golden rufous on the crown and back. Its flight feathers are rufous and green. It has a long, slightly curved black bill ending in a sharp point, a narrow black stripe called a “forget” on its throat, a black mask through its crimson eyes and two central, narrow, long black tail streamers. Its legs are dark grey and it has weak feet with three toes.
The juvenile’s colors are dull in comparison. It does not have the long tail-feathers unique to adults. The female has similar coloring and physical measurements as the male but with a duller throat, narrower half-collar and shorter tail streamers.
The green bee-eater sand-bathes more than other bee-eater species and dips in the water while flying. Usually calling in flight, its sound is a gentle, pleasant, nasal tree-tree-tree-tree that is long and repetitive. It is graceful and makes a zig-zag movement when returning to its perch to consume its prey. Most active during the day, it starts hunting after 7:00 or 8:00 am and again around 4:00 pm.
Posted by krishna.mgs on 2022-07-30 07:25:38
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