Skip to main content

Blue Throated Bee Eater (Juvenile)

Merops viridis

Photo by SeanWeekly
Published on Project Noah
Zoom
NominateNominate for Wildlife Photograph of the Month
reportFlag Spotting

1.40511, 103.793

Field Notes

Description:

The Blue-throated Bee-eater is recognisable by its bright blue throat, chestnut head and upper back, black eye stripe and bluish tail feathers. Juveniles lack the tail streamers and have a greenish throat colour. This slender bird measures about 30cm in length, including the tail. In flight, its wings form a distinctive triangular shape.

Habitat:

Bee-eaters get their names from their diet of stinging insects (bees, wasps, hornets, ants). They specialise in catching and neutralising these titbits that other birds find unappetising or dangerous.
Blue-throated Bee-eaters forage over the canopy of lowland forest, but also over mangroves, and relatively open habitats

Notes:

I saw a few of these today flying around a quarry, it looked like they where fishing as they dived into the water regularly. This was the only decent picture I could get as these birds where so quick and where very high up in the trees.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (10)

Welcome Sean, Glad I could be of some help.
Thanks Satyen for the ID, much appreciated :)
Please have a look: http://www.google.co.in/imgres?q=juvenile+blue+throated+bee+eater&um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=509&tbm=isch&tbnid=l6IhSI_Tin-yRM:&imgrefurl=http://www.pbase.com/cajuca/birds%26page%3Dall&docid=1mT816BgEJ2bTM&imgurl=http://thump01.pbase.com/t2/18/520718/4/66403098.lItElNg0.jpg&w=160&h=106&ei=Q5K7Tr7EKIvJrAev7eXWBg&zoom=1
Singapore is blessed with some beautiful birds. I saw another amazing bird today some type of trogon with the most unique call. But I was too slow in getting a picture :(
good spotting ~ seems like a spotting bonanza for you these days, thank you,
Thanks satyen, I assumed it was a type of bee eater, I think it must have been eating the flies or water gliders on top of the water. I even saw one catch a fly in mid air! beautiful birds to watch. Shame I could not get any more pictures. Some of them had some beautiful colours.
Beautiful spotting Sean. Seems like a blue throated bee eater Juvenile beginning to moult into adult plumage. I am searching for some pics, will update when I get something.

Spotted for Missions

Photographed
PublishedNovember 10, 2011

Accelerate our Mission to Photograph 
Every Species in the World!

Image
Butterflies icon

Wildlife Community

Wildlife Community

Join a worldwide community passionate about wildlife and nature!

Join Project Noah

Nature School

Nature School

Transform your green space into a curiosity-creating nature classroom!

Visit Nature School

Wildlife Game

Wildlife Game

Defend wildlife throughout the jungle in thrilling nature game!

Play Baboon