About the African Green Bee-eater
The African green bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found throughout arid Sahel region of Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and has expanded its range north to Egypt over the past few decades.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
It is 16–18 centimetres (6.3–7.1 in) long excluding the elongated central tail feathers, which are an additional 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in) long. The head and body plumage is dull yellowish-green except for a slender black eyestripe with a very narrow blue line on the lower edge, and a black crescent at the top of the breast below the throat. The most distinctive traits of this species are that its throat is also yellowish-green, in contrast to the blue throats of M. orientalis and M. cyanophrys, and the central tail feathers are much longer.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the African Green Bee-eater lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Benin.
When to see the African Green Bee-eater
Peak activity in January · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Rufous-crowned Bee-eaterMerops americanusThe rufous-crowned bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
Black Bee-eaterMerops gularisThe black bee-eater grows to a length of about 20 cm (8 in).
Blue-breasted Bee-eaterMerops variegatusThe blue-breasted bee-eater, Merops variegatus, exhibits several physically defining characteristics of the Meropidae.
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