Southern Carmine Bee-eater
Merops nubicoides
A large, spectacular, slender, carmine-pink-and-teal-blue bee-eater with a long pointed tail, black bill, and black facial mask. The immature is duller and shorter-tailed. It gathers in large groups that often attend bush fires, and it specializes in catching large flying insects, including dragonflies, butterflies, and locusts. Breeds colonially by burrowing into sandbanks. It has a complex three-stage migration; it generally breeds between 13–20°S from August–September, disperses south of the breeding area December–March, and then moves north of the breeding area April–August. “Trik-trik-trik” calls are more guttural than those of European Bee-eater. Similar Northern Carmine Bee-eater has a teal-colored (not carmine) chin and throat.
Identification
This species, like other bee-eaters, is richly coloured and is predominantly carmine in colouration, but the crown and undertail are blue.
Taxonomy
Genus: Merops; Family: Meropidae; Order: Coraciiformes.
- Scientific name
- Merops nubicoides
- Authority
- des Murs & Pucheran, 1846
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Meropidae
- Genus
- Merops
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Straight-billed Hermit
Phaethornis bourcieri
Large, drab grayish hermit with a long straight bill. Lacks a strong face pattern. Also note elongated white central tail feathers. Occurs in lowlands across much of northern South America, typically below 700 m. Found within terra firme forest, staying low and quickly zipping around flower patches in the understory.

Chiguanco Thrush
Turdus chiguanco
Fairly common in Andes and western desert foothills. Found in varied habitats from parks and gardens to farmland and other semiopen habitats with hedges and taller trees. Two distinct populations: in northern and western birds, sexes look alike, dark ashy gray overall with a yellow bill and amber eyes; in southern and eastern birds, male is dull blackish with a yellow bill and eyering and female is dark ashy gray overall with a yellow bill. No similar species in Chile, but in Bolivia and Peru compare with larger Great Thrush, which prefers more humid habitats.

Chatham Islands Oystercatcher
Haematopus chathamensis
Stocky wader with distinctive pied plumage, red eye surrounded by orange eye-ring, orange bill, and pink legs and feet in adults. Juvenile birds have paler skin and dark tip to bill. Found around rocky and sandy coasts of the Chatham Islands. Most often seen in pairs. Gives a high-pitched piping call in territorial defense and courtship. Chatham Oystercatcher distinguished from South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) by smaller size and smudged border between black and white on breast.
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