Asian green bee-eater: Difference between revisions
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imported>UtherSRG m Reverted edits by Mahmadanesh (talk) to last version by Couiros22 |
imported>Maxl2003 I added a very nice high quality picture of the merops orientalis that adds to the generall quality of the article |
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| status = LC | | status = LC | ||
| status_system = IUCN3.1 | | status_system = IUCN3.1 | ||
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Merops orientalis'' |volume=2017 | | | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Merops orientalis'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T22725876A119972083 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22725876A119972083.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> | ||
| image = Green bee-eater (Merops orientalis | | image = Green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) with blue pansy 4 Jojawar.jpg | ||
| image_caption = ''M. o. | | image_caption = ''M. o. orientalis'', [[Jojawar]], Rajasthan, India | ||
| taxon = Merops orientalis | | taxon = Merops orientalis | ||
| authority = [[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1801 | | authority = [[John Latham (ornithologist)|Latham]], 1801 | ||
| synonyms = * ''Merops viridis'' <small>Neumann, 1910</small> | | synonyms = * ''Merops viridis'' <small>Neumann, 1910</small> | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Asian green bee-eater''' ('''''Merops orientalis'''''), also known as '''little green bee-eater''', and '''green bee-eater''' | The '''Asian green bee-eater''' ('''''Merops orientalis'''''), also known as the '''little green bee-eater''', and just '''green bee-eater''', is a [[bird]] [[species]] in the [[bee-eater]] [[family (biology)|family]]. It is resident or with short-distance seasonal movements, and is found widely distributed across Asia from coastal southern [[Iran]] east through the [[Indian subcontinent]] to [[Vietnam]].<ref name="fry">{{cite book|author1=Fry, C.H. |author2=Fry, K.|year= 1992|title= Kingfishers, Bee-Eaters and Rollers. A Handbook.|publisher= Princeton University Press|isbn=0-7136-8028-8}}</ref> Populations in Africa and the [[Arabian Peninsula]] that were formerly assigned to this species (under the name green bee-eater) are now considered to be distinct species, the [[African green bee-eater]] and the [[Arabian green bee-eater]].<ref name="IOC-U">{{Cite web|title=Species Updates – IOC World Bird List|url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/updates/species-updates/|access-date=2021-06-13|language=en-US}}</ref> They are mainly insect eaters and they are found in grassland, thin scrub and forest often quite far from water. Several regional plumage variations are known and several subspecies have been named. | ||
== Taxonomy and systematics == | == Taxonomy and systematics == | ||
The Asian green bee-eater was first described by the English ornithologist [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in 1801 using its current [[binomial name]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1801 | title=Supplementum indicis ornithologici sive systematis ornithologiae | place=London | publisher=Leigh & Sotheby | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33261407 | The Asian green bee-eater was first described by the English ornithologist [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in 1801 using its current [[binomial name]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Latham | first=John | author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) | year=1801 | title=Supplementum indicis ornithologici sive systematis ornithologiae | place=London | publisher=Leigh & Sotheby | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33261407 | page=xxxiii }}</ref> Four [[subspecies]] are currently accepted:<ref name="IOC">{{cite web | title=Todies, motmots, bee-eaters – IOC World Bird List | website=IOC World Bird List – Version 14.2 | date=2025-02-20 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/todies/ | access-date=2025-12-11}}</ref><ref name=hbk>{{cite book|author1=Ali, S |author2=S D Ripley| title=Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan|edition=2nd|publisher=Oxford University Press|volume= 4|year= 1983 |pages =108–111 }}</ref> | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
|- | |||
! Image !! Name !! Distribution !! Notes | |||
|- | |||
|[[File:Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) (46526880042).jpg|180px]]<br>Samianwala, Balloki, Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan || ''M. o. beludschicus'' <small>Neumann, 1910</small> || Iran to Pakistan and far western India (western Rajasthan) ||Paler colours, and with a bluer throat. Name sometimes incorrectly cited as "''biludschicus''"<ref>{{cite journal|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=28|issue=2|year=1922|author=Baker, ECS|page=141|title=Handlist of the birds of the Indian empire|url=https://archive.org/details/handlistofgenera00bake}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
|[[File:Asian green bee-eater in Baruipur December 2024 by Tisha Mukherjee 05.jpg|180px]]<br>[[Baruipur]], West Bengal, India || ''M. o. orientalis'' <small>Latham, 1802</small> || India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh ||Head and neck tinged with rufous. | |||
|- | |||
|[[File:Green bee-eater (Merops orientalis ceylonicus).jpg|180px]]<br>[[Yala National Park]], Sri Lanka || ''M. o. ceylonicus'' <small>Whistler, 1944</small> || Sri Lanka ||Nape and hindneck with more pronounced golden brown sheen.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Rasmussen PC |author2=JC Anderton |year=2005|title= Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide.|publisher= Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. |volume=2|pages= 268–269}}</ref> Formerly often included in ''M. o. orientalis''.<ref name="HBW"/> | |||
|- | |||
|[[File:Green Bee-eater, Laem Phak Bia, Phetchaburi, Thailand.jpg|180px]]<br>Laem Phak Bia, Phetchaburi, Thailand || ''M. o. ferrugeiceps'' <small>Anderson, 1879 </small> || Northeastern India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), Myanmar, southwestern China (southern Yunnan), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam ||Strongly rufous crown and nape. Syn. ''M. o. birmanus''.<ref name="HBW"/> | |||
|- | |||
|} | |||
[[File:A Green Bee-Eater in Flight (51635792452).jpg|thumb|''M. o. orientalis'' in flight showing the bronzed colour of the upperwings; near Hyderabad]] | |||
[[File:Green Bee-eater 1 HR.jpg|thumb|''M. o. orientalis'' in flight showing the orange-bronze colour of the underwings; Bangladesh]] | |||
The [[African green bee-eater]] (''M. viridissimus'', with three subspecies ''M. v. viridissimus, M. v. cleopatra'', and ''M. v. flavoviridis'') and [[Arabian green bee-eater]] (''M. cyanophrys'', with two subspecies ''M. c. cyanophrys'' and ''M. c. muscatensis'') were formerly considered conspecific, but were split as distinct species by the [[International Ornithologists' Union|IOC]] in 2021.<ref name="IOC-U" /> | |||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
Like other bee-eaters, this species is a slender, richly coloured bird. It is {{convert|16|–|18|cm|in|1}} long excluding the elongated central tail-feathers, which are an additional {{cvt|7|cm|in|1}} long. The entire plumage is bright green, tinged with blue especially on the chin and throat, while the crown and upper back are tinged with golden rufous. The flight feathers are rufous washed with green and tipped with blackish. A fine black eyestripe line runs in front of and behind the eye, and there is also a slender black crescent at the top of the breast below the throat. The iris is crimson and the bill is black, and the legs are dark grey. The feet are weak, with the three toes joined at the base.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book | last1=Hoyo | first1=Josep del | last2=Elliott | first2=Andrew | last3=Sargatal | first3=Jordi | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World: Mousebirds to hornbills | year=2001 | isbn=84-87334-30-X | volume=6 | pages=334–335}}</ref><ref name=whistler>{{cite book|title=Popular Handbook of Indian Birds|edition=Fourth|author=Whistler, Hugh|year =1949|url=https://archive.org/details/popularhandbooko033226mbp|publisher=Gurney and Jackson|pages=[https://archive.org/details/popularhandbooko033226mbp/page/n344 295]–296}}</ref> Southeast Asian birds have rufous crown and face, and green underparts, whereas the western subspecies ''M. o. beludschicus'' has a greener crown, bluer face and bluish underparts. In flight, the wings are bronzed coppery-green above, and coppery-orange below. The juveniles are paler and duller overall, lack the elongated tail feathers and black throat crescent, and have a yellow-tinged (not blue-toned) throat.<ref name="HBW"/> The sexes are alike.<ref name="fry"/> | |||
Like other bee-eaters, this species is a richly coloured | [[File:Asian green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) 2025.jpg|thumb|Merops orientalis in beautiful colour sat on a branch; Sri Lanka]] | ||
The calls is a nasal trill ''tree-tree-tree-tree'', usually given in flight.<ref name=whistler/> | The calls is a nasal trill ''tree-tree-tree-tree'', usually given in flight.<ref name=whistler/> | ||
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== Distribution and habitat == | == Distribution and habitat == | ||
This is an abundant and fairly tame bird, familiar throughout its range. It is a bird which breeds in open country with bushes. | This is an abundant and fairly tame bird, familiar throughout its range. It is a bird which breeds in open country with bushes. This species often hunts from low perches, maybe only a metre or less high. It readily makes use of fence wires and electric wires. Unlike some other bee-eaters, they can be found well away from water.<ref name="hbk" /> | ||
They are mostly seen in the plains but can sometimes be found up to {{ | They are mostly seen in the plains but can sometimes be found up to {{cvt|2000|m|ft|-2}} in the Himalayas.<ref name="HBW"/> They are resident in the lowlands of South Asia but some populations move seasonally but the patterns are not clear,<ref name=whistler/> moving away to drier regions in the rainy season and to warmer regions in winter.<ref name=hbk/> In parts of Pakistan, they are summer visitors.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Dewar, Douglas |year=1906|title= A Note on the Migration of the Common Indian Bee-eater (''Merops viridis''). |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=17|issue=2|pages=520–522|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30119716}}</ref> | ||
== Behaviour and ecology == | == Behaviour and ecology == | ||
[[File:Green Bee-eater - Merops orientalis.ogv|thumb|''M. o. | [[File:Little Green Bee Eater (35521292391).jpg|left|thumb|Juvenile ''M. o. orientalis'', Western Ghats, Karnataka]] | ||
[[File:Asian green bee-eater in Jawai Bandh April 2025 by Tisha Mukherjee 04.jpg|thumb|''Merops orientalis'' offering food in [[Jawai Dam]], Rajasthan, India.]] | |||
[[File:Green Bee-eater - Merops orientalis.ogv|thumb|''M. o. ceylonicus'' in [[Okanda]], [[Sri Lanka]]]] | |||
Like other species in the genus, bee-eaters predominantly eat [[insect]]s, especially [[bee]]s, [[wasp]]s and [[ant]]s, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Before swallowing prey, a bee-eater removes stings and breaks the exoskeleton of the prey by repeatedly thrashing it on the perch. [[bird migration|Migration]] is not known but they make seasonal movements in response to rainfall.<ref name="fry"/> These birds are somewhat sluggish in the mornings and may be found huddled next to each other on wires sometimes with their bills tucked in their backs well after sunrise. They sand-bathe more frequently than other bee-eater species and will sometimes bathe in water by dipping into water in flight.<ref name=hbk/> They are usually seen in small groups and often roost communally in large numbers (200–300). The birds move excitedly at the roost site and call loudly, often explosively dispersing before settling back to the roost tree.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Bastawde, DB |year=1976|title= The roosting habits of Green Bee-eater ''Merops orientalis orientalis'' Latham. |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume= 73|issue=1|page=215|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48293206}}</ref> | Like other species in the genus, bee-eaters predominantly eat [[insect]]s, especially [[bee]]s, [[wasp]]s and [[ant]]s, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Before swallowing prey, a bee-eater removes stings and breaks the exoskeleton of the prey by repeatedly thrashing it on the perch. [[bird migration|Migration]] is not known but they make seasonal movements in response to rainfall.<ref name="fry"/> These birds are somewhat sluggish in the mornings and may be found huddled next to each other on wires sometimes with their bills tucked in their backs well after sunrise. They sand-bathe more frequently than other bee-eater species and will sometimes bathe in water by dipping into water in flight.<ref name=hbk/> They are usually seen in small groups and often roost communally in large numbers (200–300). The birds move excitedly at the roost site and call loudly, often explosively dispersing before settling back to the roost tree.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Bastawde, DB |year=1976|title= The roosting habits of Green Bee-eater ''Merops orientalis orientalis'' Latham. |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume= 73|issue=1|page=215|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48293206}}</ref> | ||
The little green bee-eater is also becoming common in urban and sub-urban neighborhoods, and has been observed perching on television antennae, only to launch into a brief, zig-zag flight formation to catch an insect, then return to the same perch and consume the meal. This behaviour is generally observed between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00am, and after 4:00pm. | The little green bee-eater is also becoming common in urban and sub-urban neighborhoods, and has been observed perching on television antennae, only to launch into a brief, zig-zag flight formation to catch an insect, then return to the same perch and consume the meal. This behaviour is generally observed between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00am, and after 4:00pm. | ||
[[File:Asian_green_bee-eater_(Merops_orientalis_beludschicus)_dust_bathing_near_Roorkee,_Haridwar_district.jpg|thumb|Asian green bee-eater dust bathing near Roorkee, Uttarakhand | [[File:Asian_green_bee-eater_(Merops_orientalis_beludschicus)_dust_bathing_near_Roorkee,_Haridwar_district.jpg|thumb|Asian green bee-eater dust bathing near [[Roorkee]], [[Uttarakhand]]]] | ||
The breeding season is from March to June. Unlike many bee-eaters, | The breeding season is from March to June. Unlike many bee-eaters, they are often solitary nesters, making a tunnel in a sandy bank. The breeding pairs are often joined by [[Helpers at the nest|helpers]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Burt, D. Brent|year=2002|title=Social and Breeding Biology of Bee-eaters in Thailand.|journal=Wilson Bull.|volume=114|issue=2|pages=275–279|url=https://www.coraciiformestag.com/Research/Bee-eater/burt2002.pdf|doi=10.1676/0043-5643(2002)114[0275:SABBOB]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=86185603 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Sridhar, S.|author2=K. Praveen Karanth|year=1993|title=Helpers in cooperatively breeding Small Green Bee-eaters (''Merops orientalis'').|journal=Curr. Sci. (Bangalore)|volume=65|pages=489–490|url=http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/praveen/Publications/Helpers%20in%20cooperatively%20breeding%20small%20green%20bee-eater%20(Merops%20orientalis).pdf|access-date=2009-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303192240/http://ces.iisc.ernet.in/praveen/Publications/Helpers%20in%20cooperatively%20breeding%20small%20green%20bee-eater%20(Merops%20orientalis).pdf|archive-date=2016-03-03}}</ref> They nest in hollows in vertical mud banks. The nest tunnel that they construct can run as much as {{convert|1.5|m|ft|0}} long and the 3–5 eggs are laid on the bare ground in the cavity at the end of the tunnel. The eggs are very spherical and glossy white.<ref name=whistler/> Clutch size varies with rainfall and insect food density. Both sexes incubate. The eggs hatch asynchronously with an incubation period of about 14 days and the chicks grow fledge in 3 to 4 weeks and in the fledging stage show a reduction in body weight.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Asokan, S.|author2=A.M.S. Ali|author3=R. Manikannan|name-list-style=amp|year=2010|title=Breeding biology of the Small Bee-eater ''Merops orientalis'' (Latham, 1801) in Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India|journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa|volume=2|issue=4|pages=797–804|doi=10.11609/jott.o2273.797-804|doi-access=free}}</ref> A study suggested that green bee-eaters may be capable of interpreting the behaviour of human observers. They showed an ability to predict whether a human at a particular location would be capable of spotting the nest entrance and then behaved appropriately to avoid giving away the nest location. The ability to look at a situation from another's point of view was previously believed to be possessed only by primates.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Watve Milind|author2= Thakar J|author3=Kale A|author4=Pitambekar S|author5=Shaikh I|author6=Vaze K|author7=Jog M|author8=Paranjape S| year=2002 |title= Bee-eaters ( Merops orientalis) respond to what a predator can see |journal=Animal Cognition |volume=5|issue=4|pages=253–9|doi=10.1007/s10071-002-0155-6|pmid=12461603|s2cid= 29565695}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Smitha, B.|author2=Thakar, J.|author3=Watve, M.|name-list-style=amp|year=1999|title=Do bee eaters have theory of mind? |journal=Current Science |volume=76|pages=574–577|url=http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/feb25/articles24.htm }}</ref> | ||
Riverside habitats were found to support high populations in southern India ({{convert|157|PD/km2|abbr=on}}) dropping off to {{convert|101|PD/km2|abbr=on}} in agricultural areas and {{convert|43|–|58|PD/km2|abbr=on}} near human habitations.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Asokan, S.|author2=Thiyagesan, K.|author3=Nagarajan, R.|author4=Kanakasabai, R. |year=2003|title= Studies on ''Merops orientalis'' latham 1801 with special reference to its population in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu.|journal= Journal of Environmental Biology |volume=24|issue=4|pages=477–482|pmid=15248666}}</ref> | |||
They feed on flying insects and can sometimes be nuisance to bee-keepers.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Sihag, R.C.|year=1993 |title=The green bee-eater Merops orientalis orientalis latham - (1) - Seasonal activity, population density, feeding capacity and bee capture efficiency in the apiary of honey bee, ''Apis mellifera'' L. in Haryana(India). |journal=Korean Journal of Apiculture |volume=8|issue=1|pages=5–9}}</ref> The preferred prey was mostly beetles followed by [[hymenoptera]]ns. [[Orthoptera]]ns appear to be avoided.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Asokan, S|year=1998|title= Food and feeding habits of the small green bee - eater ''Merops orientalis'' in Mayiladuthurai. |journal=Journal of Ecobiology |volume=10|issue=3|pages=199–204}}</ref> They are sometimes known to take crabs.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Khacher, Lavkumar |year=1995|title= Little Green Bee-eater, ''Merops orientalis'' Latham feeding on crabs. |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=92|issue=1|page=121|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48613654}}</ref> Like most other birds they regurgitate the hard parts of their prey as pellets.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Santharam, V |year=1981|title= Pellet casting by Bee-eaters. |journal=[[Newsletter for Birdwatchers]] |volume=21|issue=12|page=18}}</ref> | |||
An endoparasitic nematode (''Torquatoides balanocephala'') sometimes infects their gizzard.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Parasitic Diseases |year=2007 |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=103–107 |title=Scanning electron microscope study of two avian nematodes: Ascaridia trilabium (Linstaw, 1904) and Torquatoides balanocephala (Gendre, 1922) |author=Nandi, A. P. |url=http://www.parasitologyindia.org/journal_content/Vol%2031%20No%202%20Dec%202007.pdf |access-date=2018-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109024919/http://www.parasitologyindia.org/journal_content/Vol%2031%20No%202%20Dec%202007.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-09 }}</ref> A protozoal parasite in their blood, ''Haemoproteus manwelli'', has been described from India.<ref>{{cite journal|doi= 10.1139/z78-236|title= Avian Haemoproteidae. 8. The haemoproteids of the bee-eater family (Meropidae)|journal= Canadian Journal of Zoology|volume= 56|issue= 8|pages= 1721–1725|year= 1978|last1= Bennett|first1= Gordon F.}}</ref> | |||
<gallery mode="packed" heights=" | <gallery mode="packed" heights="160"> | ||
Green bee-eaters (Merops orientalis ceylonicus) hunt 1.jpg|''M. o. ceylonicus'' pair | Green bee-eaters (Merops orientalis ceylonicus) hunt 1.jpg|''M. o. ceylonicus'' pair | ||
Green bee-eaters (Merops orientalis ceylonicus) hunt 2.jpg|spotting prey | Green bee-eaters (Merops orientalis ceylonicus) hunt 2.jpg|spotting prey | ||
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<gallery mode="packed" heights="180"> | <gallery mode="packed" heights="180"> | ||
File:Green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) with blue pansy composite.jpg|''M. o. orientalis'' eating [[blue pansy]] | File:Green bee-eater (Merops orientalis) with blue pansy composite.jpg|''M. o. orientalis'' eating a [[Junonia orithya|blue pansy]] butterfly | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
Latest revision as of 20:12, 25 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Template:Speciesbox The Asian green bee-eater (Merops orientalis), also known as the little green bee-eater, and just green bee-eater, is a bird species in the bee-eater family. It is resident or with short-distance seasonal movements, and is found widely distributed across Asia from coastal southern Iran east through the Indian subcontinent to Vietnam.[1] Populations in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that were formerly assigned to this species (under the name green bee-eater) are now considered to be distinct species, the African green bee-eater and the Arabian green bee-eater.[2] They are mainly insect eaters and they are found in grassland, thin scrub and forest often quite far from water. Several regional plumage variations are known and several subspecies have been named.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Asian green bee-eater was first described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 using its current binomial name.[3] Four subspecies are currently accepted:[4][5]
| Image | Name | Distribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) (46526880042).jpg Samianwala, Balloki, Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan |
M. o. beludschicus Neumann, 1910 | Iran to Pakistan and far western India (western Rajasthan) | Paler colours, and with a bluer throat. Name sometimes incorrectly cited as "biludschicus"[6] |
| File:Asian green bee-eater in Baruipur December 2024 by Tisha Mukherjee 05.jpg Baruipur, West Bengal, India |
M. o. orientalis Latham, 1802 | India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh | Head and neck tinged with rufous. |
| File:Green bee-eater (Merops orientalis ceylonicus).jpg Yala National Park, Sri Lanka |
M. o. ceylonicus Whistler, 1944 | Sri Lanka | Nape and hindneck with more pronounced golden brown sheen.[7] Formerly often included in M. o. orientalis.[8] |
| File:Green Bee-eater, Laem Phak Bia, Phetchaburi, Thailand.jpg Laem Phak Bia, Phetchaburi, Thailand |
M. o. ferrugeiceps Anderson, 1879 | Northeastern India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), Myanmar, southwestern China (southern Yunnan), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam | Strongly rufous crown and nape. Syn. M. o. birmanus.[8] |
_(46526880042).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
The African green bee-eater (M. viridissimus, with three subspecies M. v. viridissimus, M. v. cleopatra, and M. v. flavoviridis) and Arabian green bee-eater (M. cyanophrys, with two subspecies M. c. cyanophrys and M. c. muscatensis) were formerly considered conspecific, but were split as distinct species by the IOC in 2021.[2]
Description
Like other bee-eaters, this species is a slender, richly coloured bird. It is Script error: No such module "convert". long excluding the elongated central tail-feathers, which are an additional Template:Cvt long. The entire plumage is bright green, tinged with blue especially on the chin and throat, while the crown and upper back are tinged with golden rufous. The flight feathers are rufous washed with green and tipped with blackish. A fine black eyestripe line runs in front of and behind the eye, and there is also a slender black crescent at the top of the breast below the throat. The iris is crimson and the bill is black, and the legs are dark grey. The feet are weak, with the three toes joined at the base.[8][9] Southeast Asian birds have rufous crown and face, and green underparts, whereas the western subspecies M. o. beludschicus has a greener crown, bluer face and bluish underparts. In flight, the wings are bronzed coppery-green above, and coppery-orange below. The juveniles are paler and duller overall, lack the elongated tail feathers and black throat crescent, and have a yellow-tinged (not blue-toned) throat.[8] The sexes are alike.[1]
_2025.jpg){kind=link}
The calls is a nasal trill tree-tree-tree-tree, usually given in flight.[9]
Leucistic individuals have been noted.[10]
Distribution and habitat
This is an abundant and fairly tame bird, familiar throughout its range. It is a bird which breeds in open country with bushes. This species often hunts from low perches, maybe only a metre or less high. It readily makes use of fence wires and electric wires. Unlike some other bee-eaters, they can be found well away from water.[5]
They are mostly seen in the plains but can sometimes be found up to Template:Cvt in the Himalayas.[8] They are resident in the lowlands of South Asia but some populations move seasonally but the patterns are not clear,[9] moving away to drier regions in the rainy season and to warmer regions in winter.[5] In parts of Pakistan, they are summer visitors.[11]
Behaviour and ecology
.jpg){kind=link}
Like other species in the genus, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. Before swallowing prey, a bee-eater removes stings and breaks the exoskeleton of the prey by repeatedly thrashing it on the perch. Migration is not known but they make seasonal movements in response to rainfall.[1] These birds are somewhat sluggish in the mornings and may be found huddled next to each other on wires sometimes with their bills tucked in their backs well after sunrise. They sand-bathe more frequently than other bee-eater species and will sometimes bathe in water by dipping into water in flight.[5] They are usually seen in small groups and often roost communally in large numbers (200–300). The birds move excitedly at the roost site and call loudly, often explosively dispersing before settling back to the roost tree.[12] The little green bee-eater is also becoming common in urban and sub-urban neighborhoods, and has been observed perching on television antennae, only to launch into a brief, zig-zag flight formation to catch an insect, then return to the same perch and consume the meal. This behaviour is generally observed between the hours of 7:00 and 8:00am, and after 4:00pm.
_dust_bathing_near_Roorkee,_Haridwar_district.jpg){kind=link}
The breeding season is from March to June. Unlike many bee-eaters, they are often solitary nesters, making a tunnel in a sandy bank. The breeding pairs are often joined by helpers.[13][14] They nest in hollows in vertical mud banks. The nest tunnel that they construct can run as much as Script error: No such module "convert". long and the 3–5 eggs are laid on the bare ground in the cavity at the end of the tunnel. The eggs are very spherical and glossy white.[9] Clutch size varies with rainfall and insect food density. Both sexes incubate. The eggs hatch asynchronously with an incubation period of about 14 days and the chicks grow fledge in 3 to 4 weeks and in the fledging stage show a reduction in body weight.[15] A study suggested that green bee-eaters may be capable of interpreting the behaviour of human observers. They showed an ability to predict whether a human at a particular location would be capable of spotting the nest entrance and then behaved appropriately to avoid giving away the nest location. The ability to look at a situation from another's point of view was previously believed to be possessed only by primates.[16][17]
Riverside habitats were found to support high populations in southern India (Script error: No such module "convert".) dropping off to Script error: No such module "convert". in agricultural areas and Script error: No such module "convert". near human habitations.[18]
They feed on flying insects and can sometimes be nuisance to bee-keepers.[19] The preferred prey was mostly beetles followed by hymenopterans. Orthopterans appear to be avoided.[20] They are sometimes known to take crabs.[21] Like most other birds they regurgitate the hard parts of their prey as pellets.[22]
An endoparasitic nematode (Torquatoides balanocephala) sometimes infects their gizzard.[23] A protozoal parasite in their blood, Haemoproteus manwelli, has been described from India.[24]
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M. o. ceylonicus pair
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spotting prey
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flying off to catch prey
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with a bee
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M. o. orientalis eating a blue pansy butterfly
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References
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