Chestnut-headed bee-eater

For another species alternatively named the chestnut-headed bee-eater, see blue-throated bee-eater.

Chestnut-headed bee-eater
Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
In Kaeng Krachan, Thailand
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Meropidae
Genus: Merops
Species:
M. leschenaulti
Binomial name
Merops leschenaulti
Vieillot, 1817

The chestnut-headed bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti), 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.[1]

This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green, with blue on the rump and lower belly. Its face and throat are yellow with a black eye stripe, and the crown and nape are rich chestnut. The thin curved bill is black. Sexes are alike, but young birds are duller. It is 18–20 cm long and lacks the two elongated central tail feathers possessed by most of its relatives.

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Merops leschenaulti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22683761A92999153. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683761A92999153.en. Retrieved 25 September 2021.