Swallow-tailed bee-eater
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus hirundineus).jpg
| image_caption = M. hirundineus hirundineus
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
| image2 = Swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus chrysolaimus).jpg
| image2_caption = M. hirundineus chrysolaimus
Senegal
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Merops hirundineus
| authority = Lichtenstein, AAH, 1793
| synonyms = * Dicrocercus hirundineus
}}
File:Swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus hirundineus) juvenile.jpg
File:Mhirundineuschrysolaimus112021.jpg]]
The swallow-tailed bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae.
Description
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. Its colours and readily visible forked tail make it unmistakable. It is mainly green with a yellow throat, blue gorget and black eye stripe and beak. It can reach a length of 20–22 cm, including the long forked green or blue feathers. Sexes are alike.{{cite journal |url=https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.stbeat1.01 |title=Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) |author=Fry, H.; Boesman, P.F.D. |editor1-first=Josep |editor1-last=Del Hoyo |editor2-first=Andrew |editor2-last=Elliott |editor3-first=Jordi |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor4-first=David |editor4-last=Christie |editor5-first=Eduardo |editor5-last=De Juana |year=2020 |journal=Birds of the World |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |doi=10.2173/bow.stbeat1.01 |s2cid=216191523 |accessdate=18 January 2022|url-access=subscription }}
Distribution and habitat
It breeds in savannah woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. It is partially migratory, moving in response to rainfall patterns. This is a species which prefers somewhat more wooded country than most bee-eaters.
Behaviour
This attractive bird is readily approached. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. The swallowtail has a preference for honeybees.
These bee-eaters nest as pairs or in very small colonies in sandy banks, or similar flat ground. They make a relatively long tunnel in which the 2 to 4 spherical, white eggs are laid. They also feed and roost communally.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Merops hirundineus}}
- Swallow-tailed bee-eater - [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/445.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds].
{{Bee-eaters}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q576802}}