|
|
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
(Merops persicus)
Size: 28-32 cm (incl. tail streamers 4-8 cm); wing span 35-39 cm
|
|
 |
Similar species |
|
 |
Physical description |
|
Click here for a physical description
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters are relatively large bee-eaters.
They have a yellowish to golden-brown chin patch, under
which the rest of the sides and front are pale greyish-green.
Only the vent and the undertail are grey.
The white frons merges into a light-blue supercilium above
prominent black eye stripes, which again are flanked by thin
white and light-blue malar stripes.
The back is
darker bluish-green throughout, with dark-grey flight
feathers that have bluish-green frontal edges. The tail,
including the upper side of the streamers, has the same
colour.
In some light conditions, especially on hot summer days with
nearly vertically infalling sunlight, the slightly glossy
plumage
on the back can appear to be bluish-grey.
The irises are orange-brown. The long and slender, slightly
downcurved bill is black. The short legs and feet are dark-grey.
Juvenile
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters have duller colours than
adults
and they lack tail streamers.
|
 |
Taxonomy, classification |
|
See Blue-cheeked
Bee-eater at Wikipedia .
|
 |
Range, habitat |
|
Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater is available
HERE
.
There are two races of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, which are a
strongly migratory species.
Their breeding grounds are in parts of inland north-western
Africa, the river Nile delta, parts of southern Asia Minor and
around the Caspian Sea into Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan
and India.
They spend the winters in tropical Africa, where a part of
the population is sedentary.
Nominate race
"persicus" breeds in Asia and Arabia, wintering in eastern
and southern Africa, while race "hrysocercus", which breeds
in north-western Africa, winters in the southern part of
West Africa.
In Arabia Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, race "persicus",
are found in the Middle Eastern countries (Lebanon, Syria,
Israel/Palestine, Jordan) during migration, while they
are breeding migrants to the Euphrates/Tigris river system
in Iraq and also along the North coast of the Arabian
peninsula, from about Abu Dhabi in the West to the
Muscat area in northern Oman.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were found by us near water, in an
arboretum with shrubs and trees, but also in more open,
acacia-dominated semi-arid areas, including dry creek beds
(wadis).
|
 |
Sightings |
|
Click here for sighting information
Race "persicus"
We have spotted Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, race "persicus", on
the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in the
period August-October 2009.
After a prolonged absence during the winter months, they were
seen by us in the region again in May 2010.
The photos presented below taken in May 2010 were obtained at Sun
Farms, Sohar (Batinah region). Special permission to enter the
premises for bird photography is hereby most gratefully acknowledged.
|
 |
Photos |
|
Race "persicus"
 |
ADULT |
|
Frontal view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Close-up lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Close-up lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater,
slightly different posture
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater landing on a power line
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Direct comparison of the relative sizes of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
(above) and a Green
Bee-eater (below)
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
 |
IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
|
Lateral view of a juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eater; note the absence
of streamers
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Dorsal view of an adult Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, right, with one
of its offspring; note the absence of tails streamers
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Different dorsal view of both Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters; adult
on the left, juvenile on the right
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Lunchtime for the young Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on the right
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were usually seen in clans of about 10 birds,
while their smaller cousins, the Green Bee-eaters, come in pairs
or as singles.
 |
Food, Diet |
|
As their name already indicates (and like another member of the Merops
genus,
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters feed on bees, but also other insects such as e.g.
dragonflies. They catch their prey in flight, then take it to their
perch where it is killed with a head flick smashing it against the
branch.
After catching an insect, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters will sit
on a perch, turn their head to a side and then flip
around in a sideways downward movement, smashing the
insect against the branch that they are sitting on to
kill it before devouring it.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were also seen by us to hunt under water
(photos below). Although they move around as a group, they hunt
individually.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater diving into a pond in a swoop similar to a
Gannet's; undesired side-effect: the focus of this shot is on the
reflection on the water's surface
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater emerging from water after a short dive
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.