About the Blue-breasted Bee-eater
The blue-breasted bee-eater is a central African species of bird. It is a member of the family Meropidae. Meropids are all visually similar and have a diet specialized in Hymenopterans.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The blue-breasted bee-eater, Merops variegatus, exhibits several physically defining characteristics of the Meropidae. It has a relatively large head, short neck, bright plumage, long curved slim sharp beak and a broad black eyestripe. M. variegatus weights between 20 and 26 g and measures between 18 and 21 cm in length. It is primarily a green bird, with a green crown, green upper parts and light greenish-yellow underparts. Primary wings are washed with rufous and secondaries are green with black tips. Voice: The perching song for this species contains short trills: pip, tup-tup and trrip where as the courtship song to a mate is more expanded: turrp p'ti p'ti p'ti.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Blue-breasted Bee-eater lives
When to see the Blue-breasted Bee-eater
Peak activity in July · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Ethiopian Bee-eaterMerops lafresnayiiAt around 21 cm long, it is slightly larger than blue-breasted bee-eater but similar in size to cinnamon-chested bee-eater, and generally similar to both in plumage.
Rufous-crowned Bee-eaterMerops americanusThe rufous-crowned bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
African Green Bee-eaterMerops viridissimusIt 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.
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