Bird Guide

African Green Bee-eater vs Black Bee-eater

African Green Bee-eater (Merops viridissimus)

African Green Bee-eater

Merops viridissimus

Tiny15 gShrubland

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: jujurenoult · CC BY 4.0
Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis)

Black Bee-eater

Merops gularis

Small27 gForest

The black bee-eater grows to a length of about 20 cm (8 in). It is a predominantly black bird, with a scarlet chin and throat, a streaked breast, a pale blue eyebrow, blue belly, undertail-coverts and rump, and rufous primaries.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: sandykeller · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Green Bee-eater and Black Bee-eater.