Merops variegatus
The Blue-breasted Bee-eater, *Merops variegatus*, is a strikingly colorful avian jewel of sub-Saharan Africa, renowned for its brilliant plumage and acrobatic aerial insect-hawking skills. Measuring approximately 18-20 cm in length, including its elongated central tail feathers, and weighing around 20-30 grams, it presents a dazzling array of greens, blues, and rufous. Its most distinctive feature is a vibrant sky-blue breast band, contrasting sharply with a green back and cap, a rufous throa...
This species primarily inhabits open woodlands, savannas, grasslands, and forest clearings, often near water bodies or rivers. It can be found from sea level up to elevations of around 2,000 meters.
Their diet consists almost exclusively of flying insects, predominantly bees, wasps, dragonflies, and butterflies, captured on the wing in swift aerial pursuits.
Blue-breasted Bee-eaters are diurnal and highly social, often perching conspicuously on dead branches or wires. Their foraging strategy involves swift, agile sallies from a perch to capture flying insects, followed by a return to the same or a nearby perch. They are well-known for their unique te...
The Blue-breasted Bee-eater has a widespread but somewhat fragmented distribution across sub-Saharan Africa. Its primary breeding range extends from eastern Nigeria, through Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and into parts of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Isolated p...
Least Concern
- The Blue-breasted Bee-eater's vibrant blue breast band is one of its most distinctive identification markers, setting it apart from other bee-eater species. - Despite its name, bees and wasps constitute only a portion of its diet; it readily consumes many other flying insects. - It can skillful...