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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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 4 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
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A bird on its nest entrance.
Locality Bu Baqarah, Al Batinah Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Hanne and Jens Eriksen 40 weeks ago 4.5 -
Two individuals perched on a branch, one of them stretching the wing.
Locality Jebel Hafeet, Al Buraimi Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Hanne and Jens Eriksen 40 weeks ago 4.5 -
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Locality Qatar
sulqatar 1 year ago 4.5 -
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Locality Qatar
sulqatar 1 year ago 4.5 -
Three birds on a branch.
Locality Qatar
sulqatar 6 May 2011 2 years ago 4.5 -
A pair copulating on the ground.
Locality Bu Baqarah, Al Batinah Governorate, Oman (ssp persicus)
Hanne and Jens Eriksen 40 weeks ago 4.4
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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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