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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
426:
are green, rufous on the inner webs, and all tipped dusky. The central tail-feathers are bluish on the outer, and green on the inner webs; the others are green, margined on the inner web with brown and all tipped dusky. The sides of the face, chin and throat are yellow; below this a broad band of
506:
Chestnut-headed bee-eaters usually nest in small colonies in sandy banks. They make a relatively long tunnel in which the five to six spherical white eggs are laid. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs and feed the young.
287:
as Java. This was an error as this species does not occur there and the locality has been designated as Sri Lanka. The specific epithet was chosen to honour the French naturalist and collector
358:
The chestnut-headed bee-eater is 18–20 cm (7.1–7.9 in) in overall length and weighs 26–33 g (0.92–1.16 oz). The sexes are similar in appearance. The forehead, crown, nape,
451:. The iris is red, the bill is black, the legs are dusky black and the claws dark horn-colour. The juveniles are like the adult but duller. They a green forehead, forecrown and
1274:
1313:
770:(2nd ed.). Washington D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Lynx Edicions. Vol. 1: Plate 87 p. 184; Vol. 2: pp. 269-270.
1412:
1367:
459:. The lower throat is yellow rather than chestnut and the gorget band is indistinct. The breast and belly are paler and more olive in colour than the adult.
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formed by a short distinct band of black and then an ill-defined band of yellow. The remainder of lower plumage is green tipped with blue, especially on the
466:, differs in having the space from the bill down to the black pectoral band pure yellow without any chestnut, and in having an entirely blue tail. Race
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Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, appliquée aux arts, à l'agriculture, à l'économie rurale et domestique, à la médecine, etc
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are duller. It is 18–20 cm long and lacks the two elongated central tail feathers possessed by most of its relatives.
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This is a bird which breeds in sub-tropical open woodland, often near water. It is most common in highland areas.
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chestnut extending to the sides of the neck and meeting the chestnut of the upper plumage; below this again is a
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and adjoining regions, ranging from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka across
Southeast Asia to Indonesia.
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A Handbook to the Birds of
British Burmah, including those found in the adjoining state of Karennee
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609:(in French). Vol. 14 (Nouvelle édition ed.). Paris: Deterville. pp. 17–18.
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637:. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 234.
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For another species alternatively named the chestnut-headed bee-eater, see
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are black, continued as a thin band under the eye and ear-coverts. The
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308:, 1817 – India and Sri Lanka to central south China, Indochina and
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found in the
Andamans is slightly larger than the Indian race.
326:
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520:
531:, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.
722:. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 94 Plate 35, 279–280.
498:
These birds are gregarious and feed and roost communally.
1107:
909:
887:
862:
848:
752:. Vol. 2. London: R.H. Porter. pp. 68–69.
515:As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat
718:Fry, C. Hilary; Fry, Kathie; Harris, Alan (1992).
394:are green, the latter are tipped with bluish. The
576:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683761A92999153.en
795:Oriental Bird Images: chestnut-headed bee-eater
291:who had brought Vieillot's specimen to France.
821:
8:
651:The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names
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828:
814:
806:
595:
593:
81:
53:
36:
27:
654:. London: Christopher Helm. p. 222.
574:
540:
800:Xeno-canto: chestnut-headed bee-eater
768:Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide
713:
711:
709:
707:
705:
690:. International Ornithologists' Union
7:
1079:
720:Kingfishers, Bee-eaters, and Rollers
289:Jean-Baptiste Leschenault de La Tour
272:in 1817 by the French ornithologist
1413:Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot
1368:IUCN Red List least concern species
684:"Pheasants, partridges, francolins"
562:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
268:The chestnut-headed bee-eater was
14:
1078:
1069:
1068:
688:IOC World Bird List Version 13.2
634:Check-list of Birds of the World
106:
551:BirdLife International (2016).
1:
766:; Anderton, John C. (2012).
410:are pale shining blue. The
317:Vieillot, 1817 – far south
1429:
1056:Southern carmine bee-eater
1051:Northern carmine bee-eater
1001:Cinnamon-chested bee-eater
648:Jobling, James A. (2010).
31:Chestnut-headed bee-eater
18:
1064:
1041:Chestnut-headed bee-eater
971:Blue-moustached bee-eater
374:are bright chestnut. The
230:chestnut-headed bee-eater
208:
201:
103:Scientific classification
101:
79:
70:
61:
52:
44:
35:
30:
976:Rufous-crowned bee-eater
951:Swallow-tailed bee-eater
946:White-throated bee-eater
897:Purple-bearded bee-eater
569:: e.T22683761A92999153.
474:Distribution and habitat
1398:Birds of Southeast Asia
1373:Birds described in 1817
1021:Blue-throated bee-eater
991:Blue-breasted bee-eater
986:White-fronted bee-eater
941:Arabian green bee-eater
936:African green bee-eater
901:Blue-breasted bee-eater
615:10.5962/bhl.title.20211
462:The Javan sub-species,
352:West Bali National Park
21:blue-throated bee-eater
1006:Black-headed bee-eater
981:Red-throated bee-eater
926:Blue-cheeked bee-eater
879:Blue-bearded bee-eater
601:Vieillot, Louis Pierre
487:
355:
966:Blue-headed bee-eater
956:Blue-tailed bee-eater
931:Asian green bee-eater
874:Red-bearded bee-eater
481:
349:
274:Louis Pierre Vieillot
764:Rasmussen, Pamela C.
682:, eds. (July 2023).
240:bay-headed bee-eater
194:M. leschenaulti
1378:Birds of Bangladesh
1345:Merops-leschenaulti
1166:merops-leschenaulti
1153:Merops_leschenaulti
1139:Merops leschenaulti
1109:Merops leschenaulti
996:Ethiopian bee-eater
555:Merops leschenaulti
283:. He specified the
281:Merops leschenaulti
254:Indian subcontinent
252:. It breeds on the
242:, is a bird in the
235:Merops leschenaulti
212:Merops leschenaulti
73:Conservation status
1403:Birds of Sri Lanka
1036:European bee-eater
678:; Donsker, David;
488:
356:
332:M. l. andamanensis
303:M. l. leschenaulti
276:under the current
270:formally described
46:Yala National Park
1355:
1354:
1327:Open Tree of Life
1101:Taxon identifiers
1092:
1091:
1031:Rainbow bee-eater
802:—Sound recordings
777:978-84-96553-87-3
729:978-0-7136-8028-7
680:Rasmussen, Pamela
661:978-1-4081-2501-4
629:Peters, James Lee
464:M. l. quinticolor
447:undertail coverts
406:uppertail coverts
386:, lower back and
315:M. l. quinticolor
226:
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1016:Böhm's bee-eater
1011:Somali bee-eater
921:Little bee-eater
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961:Black bee-eater
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16:Species of bird
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1408:Merops (genus)
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1046:Rosy bee-eater
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789:External links
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64:Kaeng Krachan
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843:: Meropidae)
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692:. Retrieved
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582:25 September
580:. Retrieved
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468:andamanensis
467:
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382:wing coverts
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48:, Sri Lanka
25:
1262:iNaturalist
1133:Wikispecies
744:Oates, E.W.
694:16 December
676:Gill, Frank
422:secondaries
370:ear-coverts
354:, Indonesia
342:Description
66:, Thailand
1362:Categories
1340:Xeno-canto
865:Nyctyornis
837:Bee-eaters
535:References
296:subspecies
889:Meropogon
494:Behaviour
414:primaries
250:Meropidae
244:bee-eater
188:Species:
170:Meropidae
126:Kingdom:
120:Eukaryota
1306:22683761
1280:10218707
1192:22683761
1187:BirdLife
1118:Wikidata
1074:Category
746:(1883).
603:(1817).
502:Breeding
390:tertials
306:Vieillot
285:locality
264:Taxonomy
219:Vieillot
166:Family:
140:Chordata
136:Phylum:
130:Animalia
116:Domain:
93:IUCN 3.1
1254:2475392
1241:1050052
1228:chbeat1
1202:chbeat1
1174:Avibase
1084:Commons
856:Species
529:hornets
517:insects
486:, India
319:Sumatra
176:Genus:
156:Order:
146:Class:
91: (
1332:372778
1319:457338
1293:554662
1161:ARKive
1124:Q31958
912:Merops
841:family
774:
726:
658:
484:Kerala
455:mantle
431:gorget
362:mantle
294:Three
247:family
238:), or
221:, 1817
181:Merops
1275:IRMNG
1223:eBird
1215:3ZW5C
1199:BOW:
850:Genus
525:wasps
376:lores
1314:NCBI
1301:IUCN
1288:ITIS
1267:2208
1249:GBIF
772:ISBN
724:ISBN
696:2021
656:ISBN
584:2021
567:2016
527:and
521:bees
443:and
439:vent
418:and
402:and
398:rump
366:and
327:Bali
325:and
323:Java
228:The
150:Aves
1236:EoL
1210:CoL
1148:ADW
611:doi
571:doi
482:In
350:In
62:In
1364::
1342::
1329::
1316::
1303::
1290::
1277::
1264::
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1225::
1212::
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