Merops nubicus

(Gmelin, 1788)

Vernacular names
English : Northern carmine bee-eater
French : Guêpier écarlate

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Coraciiformes
Family : Meropidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Long curved black bill, very long tail streamers and long wings. Most of its plumage is bright pink-red, darker on tail, back and wings. Face iridescent blue-green with broad black eye-band.

Range and habitat
Subsaharan Africa, from Senegal to Eritrea, southwards to south Somalia, Kenya and north Tanzania. Found in bushy and wooded savannas with scattered trees and riverside cliffs.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : Species very common and numerous throughout its range but highly dependent on presence of riverside cliffs for breeding. Present in many protected areas.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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