Blue-tailed Bee-eaters
Bee-eaters ... Photo Gallery
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Merops philippinus, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae.
This species is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, M. persicus (of, or belonging to, the same species).
Distribution / Range
It breeds in southeastern Asia. It is strongly migratory.
This is a bird which breeds in sub-tropical open country, such as farmland, parks or ricefields. It is most often seen near large waterbodies.
These birds also feed and roost communally.
Description
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly-colored, slender bird.
It is predominantly green; its face has a narrow blue patch with a black eye stripe, and a yellow and brown throat; the tail is blue and the beak is black. It can reach a length of 23-26 cm, including the two elongated central tail feathers.
Sexes are alike.
Diet / Feeding
Like other bee-eaters it predominantly eats insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.
This species probably takes bees and dragonflies in roughly equal numbers. The insects that are caught are beaten on the perch to kill and break the exoskeleton. This habit is seen in many other members of the coraciiformes order.
Breeding / Nesting
These bee-eaters are gregarious, nesting colonially in sandy banks or open flat areas.
They make a relatively long tunnel in which the 5 to 7 spherical white eggs are laid.
Both the male and the female take care of the eggs.
Calls / Vocalization
The call is similar to that of the European Bee-eater.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the It uses material from ... Additional information and photos added by Avianweb.
High Quality Species Photos, Videos and/or Articles Contributions are welcome! Click here to upload articles and images.
Please Note: The images on this page are the sole property of the photographers (unless marked as Public Domain). Please contact the photographers directly with respect to any copyright or licensing questions. Thank you.
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
