The White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It breeds in semi-desert along the southern edge of the Sahara, Africa. The White-throated Bee-eater is migratory, wintering in a completely different habitat in the equatorial rainforests of Africa from southern Senegal to Uganda.
Range map from www.oiseaux.net - Ornithological Portal Oiseaux.net
www.oiseaux.netis one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. You can find just about everything there
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green, but its face and throat are white with a black crown, eye stripe, and neckband. The underparts are pale green shading to blue on the breast. The eye is red and the beak is black.
The White-throated Bee-eater can reach a length of 19–21 cm, excluding the two very elongated central tail feathers, which can exceed an additional length of 12 cm. They weigh between 20 and 28 grams. Sexes are alike, except that the mail has longer tail feathers. The call is similar to European bee-eater.
My ZOOM H5 was in my room and I only had the phone as I had not expected any bird sound. Recorded with my LG Phone. High pass filter and nose reduction with Audacity to remove sound from a fan.
I also removed my whistle. I was 50 cm from the bird but it kept quiet and I had to get it started by whistling
ORIGINAL RECORDING including whistle
And yes, the location is correct, in the middle of the sea. On a boat and I have two White-throated Bee-eaters chasing insects around the bridge. I came very close to them but noise from the engine fans and my real recorder in my room. But I´m happy with the recording
The White-throated Bee-eater is a bird which breeds in dry sandy open country, such thorn scrub and near-desert. These abundant bee-eaters are gregarious, nesting colonially in sandy banks or open flat areas. They make a relatively long 1–2 m tunnel in which the 6 to 7 spherical white eggs are laid. Both the male and the female take care of the eggs, but up to five helpers also assist with caring for the young.
White-throated bee-eaters also feed and roost communally. As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. However, this species probably takes mainly flying ants and beetles.
White-throated Bee-eater with something looking like a butterfly
On board m/t Ribe Maersk, Djibouti Anchorage - October 2018
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the White-throated Bee-eater is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.