Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
Blue-breasted Bee-eater (Merops variegatus) - HBW 6, p. 331
French: Guêpier à collier bleu
German: Blaubrustspint
Spanish: Abejaruco Pechiazul
Other common names: Ethiopian Bee-eater (lafresnayii)
Taxonomy: Merops variegatus Vieillot, 1817, Malimbe, Cabinda, Angola.
Has been placed with other small, round-winged species lacking tail-streamers in genus Mellitophagus, comprising present species and M. muelleri, M. gularis, M. pusillus, M. oreobates, M. bulocki and M. bullockoides. Sometimes regarded as forming a superspecies with M. oreobates; although there is some geographical overlap between them, they are segregated altitudinally. Race lafresnayii sometimes treated as full species or, alternatively, as belonging in M. oreobates, but considered more akin to small lowland forms of pres.. View all taxonomy...
Has been placed with other small, round-winged species lacking tail-streamers in genus Mellitophagus, comprising present species and M. muelleri, M. gularis, M. pusillus, M. oreobates, M. bulocki and M. bullockoides. Sometimes regarded as forming a superspecies with M. oreobates; although there is some geographical overlap between them, they are segregated altitudinally. Race lafresnayii sometimes treated as full species or, alternatively, as belonging in M. oreobates, but considered more akin to small lowland forms of present species; further research required. Four subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- loringi (Mearns, 1915) - extreme SE Nigeria (Obudu and Mambilla Plateaux) and S Cameroon E to Uganda and W Kenya.
- variegatus Vieillot, 1817 - Gabon E to SC Zaire (Kasai) and S to N Angola.
- bangweoloensis (C. H. B. Grant, 1915) - C Angola, and Zambia W to W Tanzania.
- lafresnayii Guérin-Méneville, 1843 - Ethiopia and SE Sudan.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird on a branch, looking around and preening. Locality Afar Plains, Afar Region, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Josep del Hoyo 27 November 2005 6 years ago 21 sec 4.7 -
A bird in several perches, finally returning with a prey and swallowing it. Locality Afar Plains, Afar Region, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Josep del Hoyo 27 November 2005 6 years ago 33 sec 4.6 -
A bird in a tree, looking around in search of prey. Locality Sof Omar, Oromia Region, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Josep del Hoyo 3 December 2005 6 years ago 48 sec 4.6 -
A bird on a branch, foraging. Locality Afar Plains, Afar Region, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Josep del Hoyo 27 November 2005 6 years ago 47 sec 4.5 -
front views of two birds on a branch, each flies and returns empty billed Locality Jemmu Valley, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Martin Kennewell 24 October 2010 1 year ago 37 sec 4 -
A bird on a perch, yawning. Locality Afar Plains, Afar Region, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Josep del Hoyo 27 November 2005 6 years ago 32 sec 4
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Waiting. Between Negele and Yabelo. Ethiopia
Locality Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Piotr Jonczyk 18 November 2009 2 years ago 4.5 -
Bird sitting on a branch
Locality Mabamba Wetland, Uganda
Arti 6 March 2011 16 weeks ago 4.3 -
Short instruction how to fold a bee-eater.
Locality Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Piotr Jonczyk 17 November 2009 31 weeks ago 4.2 -
A nice bird
Locality Debre Zeit, Ethiopia
Guy Poisson 1 year ago 4.1 -
Bird on a branch
Locality Gondar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia (ssp lafresnayii)
Holger Meinig 12 April 2011 20 weeks ago 3.8 -
Birds in a tree
Locality Gambo Rural Hospital, Shashamane, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Juan Gonzalez Valdivieso 1 September 2009 1 year ago 3.8
- No sound recordings available yet
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