Arabian Green Bee-eater vs Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Arabian Green Bee-eater

Merops cyanophrys

Tiny15 gShrubland

It is 16–18 centimetres (6.3–7.1 in) long excluding the elongated central tail feathers, which are an additional 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The head and back plumage is dull green except for a slender black eyestripe with a broad blue forehead and line above the black eyestripe, a conspicuous blue throat, and a broad black crescent at the top of the breast below the throat. The breast and underparts are blue-green. The most distinctive trait of this species is its bright blue throat and face, more intense than on either M. orientalis or M. viridissimus, and the central tail feathers are shorter.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Greg Schechter from San Francisco, USA · CC BY 2.0

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Merops persicus

Small49 gDesert

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. This is a bird which breeds in sub-tropical semi-desert with a few trees, such as acacia. It winters in open woodland or grassland.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Koshy Koshy · CC BY 2.0

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