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 -
one bird perching Locality Kotu Creek, Kotu, Banjul, The Gambia (ssp chrysocercus)
Daniêl Jimenez 26 December 2011 1 year ago 26 sec 3.8 -
A bird perched Locality Ayn Hamran, Dhofar Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Eric Roualet 11 November 2010 2 years ago 13 sec 3.8 -
Some birds near a lake Locality Akagera National Park, East Province, Rwanda
Pascal Vagner 4 March 2013 10 weeks ago 24 sec 3.8 -
A juvenile on a twig, shaken by the wind Locality Sine Saloum Delta, Fatick Region, Senegal
Juan Sanabria 10 January 2008 4 years ago 32 sec 3.5 -
An adult on the ground Locality Saudi Arabia (ssp persicus)
Tom Tarrant 1992 7 years ago 30 sec 3.4 -
A bird with a dragonfly in its bill Locality Khawr Taqah, Dhofar Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Eric Roualet 10 November 2010 2 years ago 10 sec 3.3 -
Bird calling from wire Locality Rajasthan, India
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 September 2005 3 years ago 11 sec 3.3 -
A bird with an abnormal bill, stretching its wings Locality Ayn Hamran, Dhofar Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Eric Roualet 10 November 2011 2 years ago 11 sec 3.2 -
An individual perched on wires, preening and watching a passing bee, in a small wetland adjacent to the Amu Bukhara Canal, near Locality Korovulbazar, Bukhara Province, Uzbekistan (ssp persicus)
Greg Baker 12 May 2008 1 year ago 19 sec 3 -
Two perched bird Locality Ayn Hamran, Dhofar Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Eric Roualet 10 November 2010 2 years ago 11 sec 3 -
Two adults Locality Sine Saloum Delta, Fatick Region, Senegal
Juan Sanabria 1 January 2008 3 years ago 30 sec 3 -
A juvenile Locality Sine Saloum Delta, Fatick Region, Senegal
Juan Sanabria 1 January 2008 3 years ago 35 sec 3 -
A bird on the ground and a flock of Yellow Wagtail arriving and flying away Locality Thumamah, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia (ssp persicus)
Tom Tarrant 1992 7 years ago 28 sec 2.8 -
Three perched birds Locality Khawr Taqah, Dhofar Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Eric Roualet 10 November 2010 2 years ago 13 sec 2.8 -
A poor view of a vagrant, only stayed for a few hours at the site. Locality Castricum, North Holland Province, Netherlands
Pieter de Groot Boersma 16 August 2010 2 years ago 20 sec 2.5 -
A poor view of a real mega vagrant for the Netherlands. Locality Castricum, North Holland Province, Netherlands
Pieter de Groot Boersma 16 August 2010 2 years ago 16 sec 2.4 -
perched distantly on over head wire Locality El Saff, Giza Governorate, Egypt (ssp persicus)
Martin Kennewell 9 May 2004 2 years ago 6 sec 2 -
A perched bird Locality Erfoud, Meknès-Tafilalet Region, Morocco (ssp chrysocercus)
Eric Roualet 30 March 2006 4 years ago 5 sec 2
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