About the Ethiopian Bee-eater
The Ethiopian bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Sudan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of either blue-breasted bee-eater M. variegatus or cinnamon-chested bee-eater M. oreobates, from both of which it is allopatric with a separate distribution.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
At 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. The feathers on the back and crown are olive-green, with russet-orange underparts. The throat is yellow, with a narrow white border. The chest has a dark blue band, broadest at the centre, just below the yellow throat. There is also a narrow blue band just above the bill and back to behind the eyes, above a broad black eyestripe.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Kenya.
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Blue-breasted Bee-eaterMerops variegatusThe blue-breasted bee-eater, Merops variegatus, exhibits several physically defining characteristics of the Meropidae.
Rufous-crowned Bee-eaterMerops americanusThe rufous-crowned bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
Böhm's Bee-eaterMerops boehmiBöhm's bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae.
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