Blue-bearded Bee-eater

Blue-bearded Bee-eater
Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni, Nabang, Yunnan, China, elev. 670 m (2,200 ft.), January. (Craig Brelsford)

Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni ranges India and Southeast Asia to China. Nominate resident southeast Tibet and western and southern Yunnan and brevicaudatus endemic to Hainan. HABITAT & BEHAVIOR Thick broadleaved evergreen forests in lowlands and hilly country, to 1800 m (5,910 ft.). More tied to forests than other bee-eaters. Perches quietly atop tall trees at edges of clearings, waiting for prey (mainly bees) to fly near. ID Large, distinctive; mainly green. Sky-blue forecrown and throat feathers, which are elongated and fluffy. Belly buff, with smudgy green streaking. Vent and undertail coppery-orange. Tail square at end; lacks streamers. Juveniles mainly green but have diagnostic blue feathers. BARE PARTS Bill large, sickle-shaped, black with pale base. Short legs dull green. Iris orange, but may appear dark. VOICE Loud, low, croaking and cackling calls, infrequently heard. — Craig Brelsford

THE BEE-EATERS OF CHINA

shanghaibirding.com has research on all six species in the family Meropidae in China. Click any link below:

Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni
Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
Blue-tailed Bee-eater M. philippinus
Blue-throated Bee-eater M. viridis
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater M. leschenaulti
European Bee-eater M. apiaster

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.

Go to Birds of China page

Reach us: info@shanghaibirding.com

Be notified every time we post. Send an
email with “Subscribe” as the subject to
info@shanghaibirding.com

Donate to Shanghai Birding!





Shanghai Birding 上海观鸟