Purple-bearded Bee-eater Meropogon forsteni Scientific name definitions

25–26 cm (with streamers, up to 6 cm more). Forehead and crown blackish, feathers with ultramarine fringes; lores blue-black; ear-coverts, nape  and sides of neck chocolate-brown or dark vinous-brown; purple throat feathers broad, long and overlapping breast, not drooping, though bird looks full-chested; chin and neck feathers commonly erected to form ruff or cape at front and sides of neck; upperparts and wings green, wings short; lower belly dark brown to somewhat variable extent; tail with central rectrices green and ending in narrow streamers , outer vane of outer rectrix entirely green, other tail feathers russet, narrowly edged and tipped green; underside of tail dull russet, shafts ochreous; bill slender, not strongly decurved, shape like bill of Merops persicus, black; iris dark brown. Female very similar to male, but tail-streamers perhaps somewhat shorter; dark brown generally extends further up belly. Immature similar to adult, but head and breast mostly green, only feathers of lower throat and upper breast dark blue, not much elongated, and central rectrices do not form streamers.

Locally in N, C & SE Sulawesi.

Openings and clearings in primary and successional forest, from sea-level to 1850 m; edges of lowland, montane and elfin moss-forest; occasionally farmland with plenty of large trees.

Resident or partial migrant, said to move near to coast for the rains, returning inland to breed in dry season.

Diet consists of airborne insects, including honeybees, other bees, wasps, beetles and large dragonflies. Uses treetop perch as lookout for food, when bird is alert and lively, twisting and turning head, searching in all directions; prey caught in short sallies ; bird returns to perch with prey  , mandibulates it with bill inclined upwards, then beats it a few times against perch.

A rather inconspicuous, high-pitched “seEep” (overslurred), repeated at a rate of c. 1 note every 2–3 seconds.

Mar, Sept and Nov; occupied nests recorded in Jul and Sept. Excavates burrow in steep bank by forest stream, cliff, landslip, road cutting, or bank by forest path; one burrow was 40 cm long, another 90 cm long with entrance 90 mm wide and 35 mm high. No further information available.

Not globally threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Sulawesi EBA. Nowhere very common, but not particularly rare in Tangkoko and Ambang Mountain Reserves; present in Dumoga-Bone and Lore Lindu National Parks and Morowali Reserve, and in several other forests in C Sulawesi; early records from Tondano, Masarang, Mahawu Massif, Mengkoka Range, Mongondo, Takala Mts, Rurukan, Wawo, Masembo and Tanke Salokko.