Bird Guide

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater vs Little Bee-eater

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)

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
Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

Little Bee-eater

Merops pusillus

Small15 gGrassland

Members of this species, like other bee-eaters, are rich and brightly coloured slender birds. They have green upper parts, yellow throats, black gorgets, and rich brown upper breasts fading to buffish ochre on the belly. Their wings are green and brown. Their beaks and legs are black. Tail is square in shape with a slight fork or v-shape at the end. They reach a length of 15–17 cm, which makes them the smallest African bee-eater. Sexes are alike. Often silent, their call is a soft "seep". They are often hard to spot since their green backs and wings act as camouflage.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0

Where you might meet both

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