Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
Merops hirundineus
Beautiful mid-sized bee-eater with a deeply-forked blue tail. Immature has duller coloration but still has distinctive tail shape. Found in a wide variety of habitats, from semi-desert scrub to savannah to forest edge. Perches in the open and swoops out to catch insects on the wing. Call is a quiet “chirrup,” sometimes given in chorus by a pair or small group.
Identification
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. It can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike.
Taxonomy
Genus: Merops; Family: Meropidae; Order: Coraciiformes.
- Scientific name
- Merops hirundineus
- Authority
- Lichtenstein, AAH, 1793
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Meropidae
- Genus
- Merops
Range and habitat
It breeds in savannah woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. It is partially migratory, moving in response to rainfall patterns. This is a species which prefers somewhat more wooded country than most bee-eaters.
- Migration
- Nomadic
Behavior
Migration pattern: Nomadic.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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Small hummingbird found only in cloud forest in Colombia’s Santa Marta Mountains. Both sexes have a large, white teardrop behind the eye and pale tips to the tail. Male also has a chestnut crown. Feeds at patches of small flowers at relatively low levels. Males gather loosely in favored display areas, where they perch and sing a long series of soft chips.
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