Bee-eaters (Meropidae)

Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis) - HBW 6, p. 326

French: Guêpier noir German: Purpurspint Spanish: Abejaruco Negro

Taxonomy: Merops gularis Shaw, 1798, Sierra Leone.
Formerly sometimes joined with M. muelleri in genus Meropiscus. Has been placed with other small, round-winged species lacking tail-streamers in genus Mellitophagus, comprising present species and M. muelleri, M. pusillus, M. variegatus, M. oreobates, M. bulocki and M. bullockoides. Races intergrade in SE Nigeria. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

gularis Shaw, 1798 - Sierra Leone, SE Guinea and S Mali E to SE Nigeria.
australis (Reichenow, 1885) - SE Nigeria or W Cameroon through Congo Basin to W Uganda and N Angola.

Least Concern

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6 photos

4.4 A bird perched... Uganda, Nov 2012

Krzysztof Blachowiak
4.3 had a chance t... Uganda,

Jacek Nalepa
3.7 A bird perched... Ghana, Feb 2013

Luis Mario Arce
3.7 A bird perched... Uganda, Feb 2011

Tadeusz Rosinski
3.5 A bird carryin... Cameroon, Mar 2006

Ian Fulton
3.5 A bird carryin... Cameroon, Mar 2006

Ian Fulton