Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti)

Other Names (World)
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Bay-headed Bee-eater

Family
Meropidae (Bee-eaters)

Size
21 - 22.50 cm

First Described (Guide)
Vieillot, 1817

Habitat
Subtropical open woodland, often near water.

Range (Guide)

Bangladesh (B), Bhutan (B), Cambodia (B), China (mainland) (B), India (B), Indonesia (B), Laos (B), Malaysia (B), Myanmar (B), Nepal (B), Sri Lanka (B), Thailand (B), Vietnam (B).

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Gregarious.

Food
Insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (25)...)

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) [XC797014]
by id from Porora, India (call)

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) [XC639690]
by Greg Irving from KM34.5 Ridge Fork, Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand (call)

Nest
In a burrow of a sandy bank. In colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
Clutch Size: 4 - 6
Color: white
Dimensions: 22 x 19 mm (spherical)

Subspecies
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

leschenaulti Vieillot, 1817 - Southern India and Sri Lanka; northern India and Nepal east to south-central China (Yunnan) and Indochina and Malay Peninsula.
andamanensis Marien, 1950 - Andaman Is and nearby islands of Great and Little Coco.
quinticolor Vieillot, 1817 - Java and Bali western into southern Sumatra.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater see... Show Articles

BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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