White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis)

Other Names (World)
White-throated Bee-eater, Black-crowned Bee-eater

Family
Meropidae (Bee-eaters)

Size
19 - 21 cm

First Described (Guide)
Vieillot, 1817

Habitat
Subtropical and tropical lowland moist forest, dry grassland and shrubland, dry savanna, inland wetlands, hot desert, rural gardens, pastureland, planations. From sea-level - 1,600 m.

Range (Guide)

Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], C�te dIvoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Togo, Uganda, Yemen (B), Zambia.

Vagrant to Oman, South Africa, United Arab Emirates.

Breeds from Mauritania across to Yemen, and south to north-western Kenya and, erratically, southern Kenya; spends non-breeding season in western Africa and Congo Basin.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Insects, especially bees, wasps, hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (42)...)

White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis) [XC532292]
by Kai Jackson from Watamu, Turtle Bay, Coastal Bush and gardens, Kenya (call)

White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis) [XC234930]
by Lars Lachmann from Buffalo Springs and Samburu Reserves, Isiolo, Kenya (call, song, roosting calls)

Nest
In a tunnel of a sandy bank or open flat area. In colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
Clutch Size: 6 - 7
Color: white
Dimensions: (spherical)
Incubation: by both sexes

Subspecies
Has sometimes been placed together with Bohm's Bee-eater (Merops boehmi) in genus Aerops, as both species combine long outer primary with some characters of small Melittophagus group (comprising Blue-headed Bee-eater (Merops muelleri), Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis), Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Blue-breasted Bee-eater (Merops variegatus), Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater (Merops oreobates), Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bulocki) and White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides)) and with some features of large Merops species. Systematically rather isolated, with no obvious close relatives; possibly closest to Somali Bee-eater (Merops revoilii). Separation of eastern populations as subspecies major on grounds of longer bill and wings considered unwarranted.

No subspecies.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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