Merops bulocki
The Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bulocki) is a spectacularly colorful avian jewel of sub-Saharan Africa, instantly recognizable by its vivid emerald-green plumage, bright yellow forehead, and a striking crimson throat patch. Measuring approximately 20-22 cm (including tail streamers) and weighing about 30-40 grams, its sleek, elongated body, decurved black bill, and black eye-stripe contribute to its distinctive appearance. Taxonomically, it belongs to the order Coraciiformes, within the fa...
Found primarily in open savanna woodlands, clearings, and along the edges of rivers and streams, often at low to moderate elevations up to 1500 meters.
Exclusively insectivorous, primarily preying on flying insects such as bees, wasps, dragonflies, butterflies, and grasshoppers, captured in flight.
Red-throated Bee-eaters are highly diurnal and exceptionally social birds, often observed in large, chattering flocks that congregate at communal roosts in trees. Their foraging strategy is classic aerial hawking; they perch on a prominent branch, sally forth to snatch flying insects mid-air, and...
The Red-throated Bee-eater is a resident species distributed across a broad band of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west, eastward through the Sahel and Guinea savanna zones to parts of western Ethiopia. Its range extends south through Central Africa, including countries like Nigeria, Cam...
Least Concern
- Red-throated Bee-eaters are master aerial acrobats, capable of mid-air maneuvers to catch fast-moving insects. - They have specialized papillae on their tongue that help them manipulate and remove the stings from bees and wasps before swallowing. - Colonies can be massive, with hundreds of nest...