Sunday, December 7, 2008

Chestnut-Headed Bee Eater

I may or may not have photographed the chestnut-headed bee eater (Merops leschenaulti) before. I have a few bee-eater pictures, but this is the first time I've managed to positively identify the species. These photos were taken on Sunday. There is a flock of chestnut-headed bee eaters sitting on the branches of the trees near VC Rock in USM. They swoop around and chase bugs.

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The chestnut crown gives the bird its name, and the rest of it is mostly green with a blue rump, a yellow throat and a mask-like black stripe near the eye.

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The top two birds are chestnut-headed bee eaters, and the one below them is an immature black-naped oriole.

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