Blue-tailed bee-eater

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Blue-tailed bee-eater
Blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus) Yala 2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Meropidae
Genus: Merops
Species:
M. philippinus
Binomial name
Merops philippinus
Linnaeus, 1767
Synonyms

M. javanicusHorsfield, 1821

Blue-tailed Bee eater, Dhaka, Bangladesh sui coraa.jpg
Blue-tailed Bee eater, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia where many populations are strongly migratory, and seen seasonally in many parts but breeding colonially in small areas across their range, mostly in river valleys, where they nest by tunneling into loamy sand banks. They are seen mostly in open habitats close to water.

Contents

Description

This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green; its face has a narrow blue patch with a black eye stripe, and a yellow and brown throat; the tail is blue and the beak is black. The three outer toes are united around their bases. It can reach a length of 23–26 cm, including the two elongated central tail feathers which can be just two inches more than the remaining ten feathers. [2] Sexes are alike. This species is usually found near water and like other bee-eaters it predominantly eats flying insects, especially bees (as large as the Xylocopa sp. [3] ), wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. They may also forage in flight over estuaries, backwaters and even over the sea but not far from the coast. [4] This species probably takes bees and dragonflies in roughly equal numbers. The insects that are caught are beaten on the perch to kill them and break the exoskeleton. This habit is seen in many other members of the order Coraciiformes. [5] They call mainly in flight with a rolling chirping whistling teerp. [2]

The only confusable species within its range is the blue-cheeked bee-eater which however tends to be found in drier areas. The blue-tailed differs in having the rump and tail blue rather than green and black. The undertail feathers are bluish rather than green in the blue-cheeked. The blue cheek patch is much smaller while the chestnut on the throat and breast darker and covering a larger area. [5]

They breed in April to May in India nesting colonially with closely placed nest holes in a vertical mudbank or even burrowing into gently sloping land. They tend to choose sandy and sandy clay loams but avoid heavier clay loams. [6] They also prefer clear mud banks without any vegetation cover. [7] In Sri Lanka, they have been noted to breed in artificial sand dunes created by dredging of sea sand. [8] The nest tunnel can run nearly 2 metres deep. About 5 to 7 near spherical eggs are laid. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs. The parents guard the nest to prevent intraspecific brood parasitism and extra pair copulation. These birds also feed and roost communally. [5] One or two helpers may join the breeding pair after incubation begins. [9] Although males and females appear similar to the human eye, males tend to have longer central tail feather extensions and UV reflectance studies demonstrate that healthy males had darker chestnut throats and brighter green body plumage while females showed brighter blue rumps and yellow chins. [10]

Taxonomy and systematics

This species has sometimes been considered to be conspecific with the blue-cheeked bee-eater which is a close sister taxon, the two forming a clade with the Madagascan olive bee-eater. [11] In the past the species has been treated variously as M. persicus javanicus, M. superciliosus javanicus, and M. superciliosus philippinus. [12]

Ecological interactions

Based on the presence of spores of Nosema ceranae in the droppings of blue-tailed bee-eaters, it has been suggested that they may be capable of distributing the parasite to bees across a wide geographic range. [13] A species of feather louse, Brueelia superciliosa has been described from hosts of this species in Thailand. [14]

Distribution and movements

The species has a patchy breeding distribution across India, Myanmar, and parts of Southeast Asia. [12] In India they are known to breed in several of the river valleys including those of the Godavari, Kaveri, Tunga Badra and Krishna rivers. [15] They also nest in the eastern parts of Sri Lanka. [16] [8]

Blue-tailed bee-eaters are seasonal in many parts of their range and are known to migrate diurnally en masse at some places like Tanjung Tuan (W. Malaysia) and Promsri Hill [17] (southern Thailand). [18] They are winter visitors in parts of Malaysia and peninsular India. [19] The non-breeding ranges of the blue-cheeked bee-eater and blue-tailed overlap in some parts of Gujarat [20] and western peninsular India. [21]

Status

The Blue-tailed bee-eater is listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bee-eater</span> Widespread group of insectivorous bird species in the family Meropidae

The bee-eaters are a group of birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty-one species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European bee-eater</span> Species of bird of genus Merops

The European bee-eater is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African population, the species is strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa. This species occurs as a spring overshoot north of its usual range, with occasional breeding in northern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-cheeked bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The blue-cheeked bee-eater is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. The genus name Merops is Ancient Greek for "bee-eater", and persicus is Latin for "Persian".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian green bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The Asian green bee-eater, also known as little green bee-eater, and green bee-eater in Sri Lanka, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family. It is resident but prone to seasonal movements and is found widely distributed across Asia from coastal southern Iran east through the Indian subcontinent to Vietnam. Populations in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula that were formerly assigned to this species are now considered distinct species: the African green bee-eater and the Arabian green bee-eater. They are mainly insect eaters and they are found in grassland, thin scrub and forest often quite far from water. Several regional plumage variations are known and several subspecies have been named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallow-tailed bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The swallow-tailed bee-eater is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-headed bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-headed bee-eater, or bay-headed bee-eater, is a bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds on the Indian subcontinent and adjoining regions, ranging from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka across Southeast Asia to Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-throated bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The white-throated bee-eater is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in semi-desert along the southern edge of the Sahara, Africa. The white-throated bee-eater is migratory, wintering in a completely different habitat in the equatorial rain forests of Africa from southern Senegal to Uganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The olive bee-eater or Madagascar bee-eater is a near passerine bee-eater species in the genus Merops. It is native to the southern half of Africa where it is present in Angola; Botswana; Burundi; Comoros; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Kenya; Madagascar; Malawi; Mayotte; Mozambique; Namibia; Rwanda; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe. It is a common species with a wide range so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The rainbow bee-eater is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-bearded bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The blue-bearded bee-eater is a species of bee-eater found in much of the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. This bee-eater is found in forest clearings. It is found mainly in the Malayan region but extends west into peninsular India. The blue feathers of its throat are elongated and often fluffed giving it its name. They have a loud call but are not as gregarious or active as the smaller bee-eaters, and their square ended tail lacks the typical "wires" made up of the shafts of the longer central tail feathers found in many other bee-eaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The white-fronted bee-eater is a species of bee-eater widely distributed in sub-equatorial Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern carmine bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The northern carmine bee-eater is a brightly-coloured bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It is found across northern tropical Africa, from Senegal eastwards to Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the southern carmine bee-eater which has a carmine coloured throat rather than the blue throat of the northern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-headed bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The black-headed bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in forests in tropical Central and West Africa, its range including Angola, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Sudan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-throated bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The red-throated bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. This species is native to the Sudan (region). It has a wide range and large total population, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosy bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The rosy bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The Somali bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Tanzania. This is a small bee-eater that prefers arid country and desert areas where it may be locally common. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern", postulating that clearing of woodland and forest is creating new suitable habitat for the bird and that its population trend may therefore be rising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-breasted bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The blue-breasted bee-eater is a central African species of bird. It is a member of the family Meropidae. Meropids are all visually similar and have a diet specialized in Hymenopterans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The blue-throated bee-eater is a species of bird in the bee-eater family. They are found throughout southeast Asia in subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. Their diet consists mostly of bees, wasps, and dragonflies. Blue-throated bee-eaters are small with colorful plumage consisting of a red nape, dark green wings, light green breast, and their signature blue throat. Juvenile plumage contain dark green head and wings and light green breasts, only developing their full plumage in adulthood. They have a rich variety of songs and calls, including longcalls which allow them to communicate long distances in the forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The Ethiopian bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Sudan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the blue-breasted bee-eater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian green bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The Arabian green bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found throughout arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula from Saudi Arabia south to Yemen and east to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and has expanded its range north to the Levant over the past few decades.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Merops philippinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22683750A92998513. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683750A92998513.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Whistler, Hugh (1949). Popular Handbook of Indian Birds (4 ed.). London: Gurney and Jackson. p. 297.
  3. ↑ Mason, C.W. (1911). Maxwell-Lefroy, H. (ed.). The Food of Birds in India. Pusa: Agricultural Research Institute. pp. 164–165.
  4. ↑ Dresser, H.E. (1886). A monograph of the Meropidae, or the family of bee-eaters. London. pp. 55–61.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. 1 2 3 Ali, Salim; Ripley, S. Dillon (1983). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 4 (2 ed.). Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 106–108.
  6. ↑ Yuan, Hsiao-Wei; Wang, Ming-Kuang; Chang, Wen-Lian; Wang, Lee-Ping; Chen, Yue-Min; Chiou, Chyi-Rong (2006). "Soil composition affects the nesting behavior of blue-tailed bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) on Kinmen Island". Ecological Research. 21 (4): 510–512. Bibcode:2006EcoR...21..510Y. doi:10.1007/s11284-006-0183-9. ISSN   0912-3814. S2CID   24574485.
  7. ↑ Wang, Yi-Ping; Siefferman, Lynn; Wang, Yuan-Jyun; Ding, Tzung-Su; Chiou, Chyi-Rong; Shieh, Bao-Sen; Hsu, Fu-Shung; Yuan, Hsiao-Wei (2009). "Nest site restoration increases the breeding density of blue-tailed bee-eaters". Biological Conservation. 142 (8): 1748–1753. Bibcode:2009BCons.142.1748W. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.03.013.
  8. 1 2 Hewavithana, K.; Pieris, A.L.; Peries, T.N.; Wijesinghe, M.R. (2017). "Discovery of a large nesting colony of the blue-tailed bee-eater (Merops philippinus) in Oluvil, Amparad". Wildlanka. 5 (1): 11–16.
  9. ↑ Burt, D. Brent (2002). "Social and Breeding Biology of Bee-Eaters in Thailand". The Wilson Bulletin. 114 (2): 275. doi:10.1676/0043-5643(2002)114[0275:SABBOB]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   0043-5643. S2CID   86185603.
  10. ↑ Siefferman, Lynn; Wang, Yuan-Jyun; Wang, Yi-Ping; Yuan, Hsiao-Wei (2007). "Sexual Dichromatism, Dimorphism, and Condition-Dependent Coloration in Blue-Tailed Bee-Eaters". The Condor. 109 (3): 577–584. doi: 10.1093/condor/109.3.577 .
  11. ↑ Marks, Ben D.; Weckstein, Jason D.; Moyle, Robert G. (2007). "Molecular phylogenetics of the bee-eaters (Aves: Meropidae) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (1): 23–32. Bibcode:2007MolPE..45...23M. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.004. PMID   17716922.
  12. 1 2 Peters, James Lee (1945). Check-list of birds of the World. Volume 5. Harvard University Press. p. 235.
  13. ↑ Valera, Francisco; Gómez-Moracho, Tamara; Yuan, Hsiao-Wei; Muñoz, Irene; de la Rúa, Pilar; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Chen, Ying-Lan; Higes, Mariano (2017). "Any role for the dissemination of Nosema spores by the blue-tailed bee-eater Merops philippinus?". Journal of Apicultural Research. 56 (3): 262–269. Bibcode:2017JApiR..56..262V. doi:10.1080/00218839.2017.1306375. S2CID   90089790.
  14. ↑ Williams, N. Sandra (1981). "The Brueelia (Mallophaga: Philopteridae) of the Meropidae (Aves: Coraciiformes)". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 54 (3): 510–518. JSTOR   25084186.
  15. ↑ Neelakantan, K. K. (1948). "On the breeding of the Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus javanicus) in Rajahmundri, East Godavari district". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 47: 741–742.
  16. ↑ Norris, C. E. (1963). "The Bluetailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus Linnaeus, nesting in Ceylon". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 60: 259.
  17. ↑ DeCandido, Robert; Nualsri, Chukiat; Allen, Deborah (2010). "Mass northbound migration of Blue-tailed Merops philippinus and Blue-throated M. viridis Bee-eaters in southern Thailand, spring 2007–2008" (PDF). Forktail. 26: 42–48.
  18. ↑ DeCandido, Robert; Allen, Deborah; Yosef, Reuven (2004). "Merops Migration at Tanjung Tuan, Malaysia: An Important Spring Bee-eater Migration Watchsite in South-east Asia". J. Yamashina Inst. Ornithol. 36: 15–21. doi: 10.3312/jyio.36.15 .
  19. ↑ Nisbet, I.C.T. (2013). "Seasonal occurrence, migrations and habitat relationships of blue-tailed and blue-throated bee-eaters Merops philippinus and M. viridis in Peninsular Malaysia" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 29: 219–223.
  20. ↑ Dharmakumarsinhji, K. S. (1958). "Bluetailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus Linnaeus in western Saurashtra". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 55: 351–352.
  21. ↑ Gosavi, P.; Mannar, H.; Sumesh, P. B.; Vinay, K. L.; Saleem, M. (2019). "Status of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus in south-western India" (PDF). Indian Birds. 15 (4): 117–119.

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