White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis Scientific name definitions

20 cm (with streamers, up to 12 cm more); 20–32 g. Black crown and mask , contrasting with white face, even in juvenile; can raise crown feathers. Adult male has white head with black crown, eyeband and throatband; hindneck ochreous, back and wing-coverts green, rump and tail bluish; remiges mostly ochreous with wide black band on trailing edge; breast very pale green, of shade rare in birds, belly white; iris dull crimson to bright red. Female as male but streamers shorter, up to 8·5 cm; tends to have narrower black gorget and less pure black mask. Juvenile like adult, but green parts more olive; breast and tertials olive-green; central pair of rectrices barely longer than others, dull green-blue, with oval black patch near ends; chin and throat pale yellow; all dark contour feathers narrowly pale-tipped, giving scalloped appearance.

Breeds from Mauritania and Senegal to Eritrea, SW Saudi Arabia and W Yemen, and S to NW Kenya and, erratically, S Kenya; spends non-breeding season in W Africa and Congo Basin.

Breeds in very sparsely wooded subdesert steppe, sandy wastes, wadis, laghs and arid thorn-scrub; winters in large clearings in equatorial and W African forest , and in savanna woodland, orchard-bush, farmland and large suburban gardens, also mangroves.

A long-distance intra-tropical migrant, travelling in noisy flocks by day, conspicuously, and seen with much regularity and predictability at many stations between Saharan nesting grounds and rainforest zone. Non-breeders present in Sierra Leone late Oct-early Jun. Lays down fat just before departure from non-breeding grounds, weight increasing by 15%; visitors to Yemen probably cross Gulf of Aden. Those spending non-breeding season in Cabinda (N Angola) and SW Congo make return journey of at least 2200 km if to L Chad, or c. 3000 km if to Sudan. More or less resident near equator in E Africa. Vagrant to South Africa. Recorded in S Western Sahara in Dec 2013 (2 Bergier, P., Franchimont, J. et la Commission d’Homologation Marocaine (2015). Les oiseaux rares au Maroc. Rapport de la Commission d’Homologation Marocaine Numéro 20 (2014). Go-South Bulletin. 12: 1–23. In French with English summary. Close ) and in February - May 2017. Also recorded once in Israel, August - October 2019.

Ants make up 35–90% of diet; also eats honeybees (Apis), other hymenopterans, beetles, bugs, flies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, butterflies and ant-lions (Myrmeleonidae); occasionally takes small lizards from ground. A sortie feeder that tends to make longer forays than other fly-catching bee-eaters; also feeds in continuous flight on airborne ants and some termites, and takes some insects from ground; catches and eats strips of fruits of oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) dropped by squirrels (Funisciurus) and weavers (Ploceus) feeding in palm crown (see Family Text ). In winter, hawks from tops of largest emergent trees in primary forest .

Most common call, typically given by birds in group, is a repeated bright burry “prrr-weee....prrr-weee...” given by several individuals, resulting in a pleasant medley of far-carrying sounds. Also a short “prrp” and “pruik”, similar to M. apiaster (3 Fry, C. H., K. Fry, and A. Harris (1992). Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common over most of breeding range, and frequent or locally abundant in derived savanna and above rainforest outside breeding season. Little known about demographic structure, but evident high productivity should counterbalance known high mortality on breeding grounds, where many birds die in sandstorms and drought conditions. Present in numerous national parks , e.g. Taï Forest and Maraoué (Ivory Coast), Mount Kupé, Benoue and Dja (Cameroon), Aïr et Ténére (Niger) and Rwenzori (Uganda); also in Gola Forests Reserves (Sierra Leone), Ouadi Rime-Ouadi Achim Reserve (Chad) and Kakamega Nature Reserve (Kenya).