African Green Bee-eater
Merops viridissimus Swainson, 1837
Meropidae — Bee-eaters
African Green Bee-eater, Merops viridissimus, is a bird of the Sahel in Africa, breeding from Senegal east to Ethiopia and eastern Sudan, with its range also reaching Egypt. It belongs to the bee-eater family and was described by Swainson in 1837. It is a slender species with a yellowish-green throat, a black crescent on the upper breast, and a narrow black eye stripe edged below with blue. The central tail feathers are notably extended, and the bill is black. Juveniles are duller and lack the long tail feathers and breast crescent.
- Order
- Coraciiformes
- Family
- Meropidae — Bee-eaters
- Breeding range
- Africa: Senegal to Egypt, Ethiopia and e Sudan
