Merops viridis
The Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis) is a strikingly vibrant medium-sized bird, typically measuring 21-23 cm in length, excluding its distinctive 9 cm long central tail streamers. Its plumage is a kaleidoscope of metallic green across its back, wings, and belly, contrasting sharply with a brilliant azure-blue throat and upper breast. A prominent black eye-stripe acts as a critical field mark, extending from the bill to the ear coverts, framing the bright red iris. The underparts often...
Primarily found in open woodlands, forest clearings, scrubland, cultivated areas, and riverine forests, often close to water sources. They inhabit lowlands up to moderate elevations, generally below 1500 meters.
Consists almost entirely of insects, predominantly large flying insects such as bees, wasps, dragonflies, butterflies, and beetles. They are expert aerial hawkers, catching prey in flight.
Blue-throated Bee-eaters are highly social and diurnal, typically foraging during the day and gathering in communal roosts in trees at dusk. They employ a 'sally-and-return' foraging strategy, launching from an exposed perch to hawk insects in mid-air, often performing acrobatic maneuvers to snat...
The Blue-throated Bee-eater boasts a broad distribution across Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent, primarily found in tropical and subtropical lowlands. Its breeding range extends from eastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, an...
Least Concern
- The Blue-throated Bee-eater is renowned for its unique ability to safely consume stinging insects like bees and wasps by repeatedly rubbing the insect's abdomen against a perch to extract the venomous stinger before ingestion. - They are highly social birds, often nesting in colonies that can n...