The chestnut-headed bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) is also known as bay-headed bee-eater. It belong to genus Merops, a genus of bee-eaters.
Similar to most of the other species in this group, chestnut-headed bee-eaters are characterised by slender bodies and rich colorful plumage. However, unlike most of the other species in the genus, these species do not have elongated central tail feathers.
The head region of these bee-eaters, including the forehead, crown, upper face and nape, is chestnut colored. The rest of the upper parts and under parts have plumage in shades of green. The chin, throat and the sides of the neck are lemon yellow.
The chestnut-headed bee-eater is distributed in most of the Indian subcontinent (except Pakistan), southern China and Southeast Asia. There are three recognized subspecies. These birds inhabit a wide range of artificial and natural ecosystems.
These chestnut-headed bee-eater species feed mostly on flying insects. They breed in tunnel-nest, dug on the sandy banks. The parents incubate the eggs and take care of the young ones. The hatchlings lack down feathers. These bee-eaters are gregarious, feeding and roosting communally.
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| 1.Chestnut-headed bee-eater - Photo by PJeganathan |
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| 2.Photo by Francesco Veronesi |
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| 3.Photo by Alnus |
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| 4.Photo by Ravi.sangeetha |
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| 5.Photo by PJeganathan |
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| 6.Photo by Dr deepak rastogi |
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| 7.Photo by CLPramod |
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| 8.Photo by by JJ Harrison |
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| 9.Photo by N. A. Naseer |
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| 10. Photo by vaidyanathan |
1.Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut-headed_bee-eater_(Merops_leschenaulti)_from_nilgiris_DSC_1097.jpg
Photo author: PJeganathan | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
2.Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut-headed_Bee-eater_-_Thailand_S4E1282.jpg
Photo author: Francesco Veronesi | License: CC BY-SA 2.0
3.Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut-headed_Bee-eater_1442.jpg
Photo author: Alnus | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
4.Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RAVI.WIKI.CHESTNUTHEADERBEEEATER.jpg
Photo author: Ravi.sangeetha | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5.Photo source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut-headed_bee-eater_(Merops_leschenaulti)_form_the_Anaimalai_hills_JEG3697.jpg
Author: PJeganathan | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
6.Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chestnut_headed_bee_eater_at_corbett.jpg
Author: Dr deepak rastogi | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MAY_9794_CHBE_INW.jpg
Author: CLPramod | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
8.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Merops_leschenaulti_-_Kaeng_Krachan.jpg
Author: JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
9.Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merops_leschenaulti_by_N.A._Nazeer.jpg
Author: N. A. Naseer / www.nilgirimarten.com / naseerart@gmail.com | License:CC BY-SA 2.5 IN
10.Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bee-eater_alongside_Kabini_river.jpg
Image author: vaidyanathan | License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Current topic in Birds of India: Chestnut-headed bee-eater photos.
