Red-throated Bee-eater

Overview

The red-throated bee-eater (Merops bulocki) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae, native to the Sudan region. It is characterised by a wide range and large total population, with a conservation status of 'least concern'.

Identification

• Length of about 20 to 22 cm with a moderately long tail and no streamers.
• Upper parts are green, contrasting with a distinctive red chin and throat, although approximately 1% of individuals possess a yellow throat.
• Hind neck, breast, and underparts are buff, while the under-tail coverts and thighs are bright blue.
• Blue or green facial features depending on location, with blue features east of the Central African Republic and green features to the west.

Habitat

This species has a wide distribution across tropical Africa, extending from Senegal and Gambia in the west to Uganda, southern Sudan, and Ethiopia in the east. It typically inhabits savannah with scattered trees, farmland with trees, the edges of marshes, bushy pastures, and gardens, but is rarely found far from erosion gullies, streams, and small rivers where it nests.

Diet

The diet consists mostly of honey-bees and stingless bees, as well as other insects. When foraging, a pair or a few individuals move around together and can sometimes be seen perched in a row side by side.

Did you know?

The species epithet is named after William Bullock, from whose collection the species was described.