Little bee-eater
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The little bee-eater (Merops pusillus) is a bird species in the bee-eater family, Meropidae.[1] They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.[2] They should not be confused with the little green bee-eater (Merops orientalis). Migration is limited to seasonal movements depending on rainfall patterns.
Description
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.[3] Their wings are green and brown.[4] Their beaks and legs are black.[5] 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".
Ecology
These are abundant and tame birds, familiar throughout their range. There have been estimated to be between 60 and 80 million little bee-eaters. They breed in open country with bushes, preferably near water. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, who are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. This species often hunts from low perches, maybe only a metre or less high. Before eating their meal, a bee-eater removes the stinger by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface.
Unlike most bee-eaters, these are solitary nesters, making a tunnel in sandy banks, or sometimes in the entrance to an Aardvark den. They lay 4 to 6 spherical white eggs. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs. These birds roost communally, lined up on a tree branch.
Subspecies and plumages
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Male and juvenile female
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Hann Park, Dakar, Senegal
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M. p. pusillus, Gambia
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M. p. meridionalis
Samburu National Reserve, Kenya -
At Maasai Mara, Kenya
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References
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External links
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- Little bee-eater – Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
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