Ethiopian Bee-eater
Merops lafresnayii
Beautiful bee-eater with a blue fore-crown, green back, yellow throat, rufous underparts, and deep-blue breast band. In flight, reveals a striking pattern of rufous patches and black bars on the wings and tail. Found in moist, open habitats including savanna, woodland, cultivation, and forest edge. Calls are short, wooden rattles. Very similar to Little Bee-eater, but separated with care by slightly larger size and by the pale patch along the top and back of the yellow throat.
Identification
The feathers on the back of a typical Ethiopian bee-eater are green, with a russet undercarriage, a yellow throat, and a dark blue band around their crown, eyes, and across their breast. In flight, a black stripe and additional russet feathers can be viewed beneath their back and along the underside of their wings. From above, the Ethiopian bee-eater’s wing feathers appear tawny near the inside and azure blue moving closer to the outside, with a black stripe along the back of their wings.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Merops lafresnayii
- Authority
- Guérin-Méneville, 1843
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Meropidae
- Genus
- Merops
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Ethiopian bee-eaters behave much like other species in the Meropidae family in that they are both gregarious and diurnal birds. They are often observed gathering into large flocks, establishing territories roughly 2 kilometers from their flock’s designated feeding sites during mating season. In these areas of brooding and nesting, bee-eaters use the safety of these locations to socialize with other nests and preen, exposing their feathers to sunlight and using dust baths to prevent ectoparasitic infestations.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Northern Red Bishop
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A very small gregarious species of open habitats including agricultural areas and the edges of marshes; often found in flocks of tens to hundreds. Note the black face and crown, brown wings, and long reddish orange uppertail coverts (concealing black tail) of breeding male. Nonbreeding males and females distinguished from similar Black-winged Bishop by smaller size and bill and told from Yellow-crowned Bishop by buffier coloration and more limited streaking on chest. Song is a rapid jumble of squeaky, twittering, and churring notes. Its calls include a sharp “tsit” and “tzit.”
Cinnamon Flycatcher
Pyrrhomyias cinnamomeus
Bright rufous flycatcher of the Andean subtropical zone. Fairly small size, entirely cinnamon underparts, brown back, and bright rufous wing patch render this species distinctive. Usually found in pairs, perched conspicuously at the edge of the cloud forest. Sexes alike. Voice is also a good way to detect this species: listen for the sputtering, slightly descending trill. The subspecies found in Venezuela and northern Colombia is even brighter cinnamon than its southern counterparts, especially on the back and wings.
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