Bird Guide

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater vs White-throated Bee-eater

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus)

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Merops hirundineus

Small22 gShrubland

Like other bee-eaters, this is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. Swallow-tailed bee-eaters can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Frank Vassen · CC BY 2.0
White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis)

White-throated Bee-eater

Merops albicollis

Small26 gGrassland

This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green, but its face and throat are white with a black crown, eye stripe, and neckband. The underparts are pale green shading to blue on the breast. The eye is red and the beak is black. The white-throated bee-eater can reach a length of 19–21 cm, excluding the two very elongated central tail feathers, which can exceed an additional length of 12 cm. They weigh between 20 and 28 grams. Sexes are alike, except that the male has longer tail feathers. The call is similar to European bee-eater.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the White-throated Bee-eater
Recorded by Anne Ndung'u · Flight call, song · Kilifi County, Kenya · 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: Swallow-tailed Bee-eater and White-throated Bee-eater.