Bee-eaters (Meropidae)
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus) - HBW 6, p. 337
French: Guêpier de Perse
German: Blauwangenspint
Spanish: Abejaruco Persa
Taxonomy: Merops persica Pallas, 1773, shores of the Caspian Sea.
Forms a superspecies with M. superciliosus and M. philippinus, and the three taxa have often been regarded as conspecific. Present species, however, shows striking plumage differences from M. superciliosus, and breeds sympatrically with M. philippinus in N Pakistan and India; in some regards, those two species are more similar to each other than either is to present species. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- chrysocercus Cabanis & Heine, 1860 - borders of W Sahara, from Morocco to Algeria and from Senegal patchily to L Chad; winters in sub-Saharan W Africa.
- persicus Pallas, 1773 - Egypt (Nile Delta), N Israel (irregular) and SE Turkey, S to Persian Gulf, and E to N shores of Caspian and Aral Seas, S shores of L Balkhash, N Afghanistan (Hindu Kush) and N & W India (Delhi and Gujarat); winters mainly in E tropical Africa.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird perched and looking around Locality Chobe National Park, North-West District, Botswana (ssp chrysocercus)
Alex García · Videoaves 27 December 2007 5 years ago 22 sec 4.6 -
A bird perched and looking around. Locality Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda (ssp persicus)
Eldert Groenewoud 2 March 2008 4 years ago 16 sec 4.3 -
Two birds in a tree Locality Turmi, Ethiopia (ssp persicus)
Josep del Hoyo 14 December 2005 6 years ago 48 sec 4.1 -
1 juvenile Locality Sine Saloum Delta, Fatick Region, Senegal
Juan Sanabria 10 January 2008 4 years ago 22 sec 4 -
A juvenile Locality Toubacouta, Fatick Region, Senegal
Juan Sanabria 12 January 2008 4 years ago 35 sec 4 -
Two adults near water Locality Sine Saloum Delta, Fatick Region, Senegal
Juan Sanabria 13 January 2008 4 years ago 30 sec 4
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Hunting insects
Locality Arakhiya Farm, Al Rayyan, Qatar (ssp persicus)
John A Thompson 16 September 2010 2 years ago 4.8 -
A pair mating.
Locality Jebel Hafeet, Al Buraimi Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Hanne and Jens Eriksen 41 weeks ago 4.8 -
With catch
Locality Arakhiya Farm, Al Rayyan, Qatar (ssp persicus)
John A Thompson 16 September 2010 2 years ago 4.7 -
With catch
Locality Arakhiya Farm, Al Rayyan, Qatar
John A Thompson 16 September 2010 2 years ago 4.6 -
This late migrating bird was not calling but gasping for air due to the intense heat
Locality Saudi Arabia (ssp persicus)
ajdh 23 May 2008 3 years ago 4.6 -
on wire at km 20 salt ponds
Locality Eilat, Israel
Lior Kislev 2 May 2008 2 years ago 4.6
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Calling from a perch Locality Bikaner District, Rajasthan, India
(ssp persicus)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 July 1994 3 years ago 4 -
Calling during period in Bikaner district Locality Rajasthan, India
(ssp persicus)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 July 1994 3 years ago 3 -
Calls of a bird from perch Locality Rajasthan, India
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 September 2005 3 years ago 3 -
Flock of birds calling while resting on a tree. Locality Eilat, Israel
(ssp persicus)
Iva Hristova 28 March 2007 3 years ago 2 -
Click to play
A bird calling in windy condition Locality Ayn Hamran, Dhofar Governorate, Oman
(ssp persicus)
Eric Roualet 11 November 2010 10 weeks ago 0
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