European Bee-eater vs Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Merops apiaster compared with Amazona aestiva
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | European Bee-eater | Turquoise-fronted Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Merops apiaster | Amazona aestiva |
| Order | Coraciiformes | Psittaciformes |
| Family | Meropidae | Psittacidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | 28.0 cm (11.0 in) | 36.0 cm (14.2 in) |
| Wingspan | 38.0 cm (15.0 in) | 55.0 cm (21.7 in) |
| Weight | 56.0 g (1.98 oz) | 400.0 g (14.11 oz) |
| Diet | Primarily bees, wasps, and hornets caught in flight. Removes stingers by beating prey against a … | Seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, and flowers. Feeds in tree canopy in noisy flocks. Occasionally raids … |
| Clutch Size | 4-10 | 1-5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
European Bee-eater only
Turquoise-fronted Amazon only
European Bee-eater
Open country with scattered trees, sandy banks, and river cliffs for nesting. Breeds in colonies in tunnels dug into earth banks.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Tropical and subtropical forests, woodland, savanna, and palm groves in South America.
Song & Call Comparison
European Bee-eater
A liquid, melodic 'pruik-pruik' or rolling 'prruup-pruup' in flight. Flocks give a distinctive far-carrying bubbling call audible before birds are seen. Considered a pleasant sound.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Loud, raucous squawking and screaming calls. Capable of impressive vocal mimicry including human speech. Contact call is a rolling 'arr-arr'. Highly vocal in social groups.
Geographic Range & Migration
European Bee-eater
Southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Winters in tropical Africa. A long-distance migrant.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Interior of South America including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.
Conservation Status
European Bee-eater
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
How to Tell Them Apart
European Bee-eater
Richly colored with a chestnut-brown crown and back, golden-yellow scapulars, turquoise-blue underparts, and a black eye stripe. Central tail feathers are elongated.
Long, slender, slightly decurved black bill
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
Green body with a turquoise-blue forehead, yellow face, and red and blue wing patches. Red at the bend of the wing visible in flight.
Strong, hooked, dark grey upper mandible with a paler lower mandible
About These Birds
European Bee-eater
The European bee-eater is one of the most colorful birds in Europe, displaying a rainbow palette of chestnut, gold, and turquoise. True to their name, bee-eaters specialize in catching venomous insects, skillfully removing the stinger before consumption. They nest in colonies, excavating tunnel burrows up to two meters into sandy banks.
Turquoise-fronted Amazon
The turquoise-fronted amazon is one of the most popular pet parrots in the world, prized for its ability to mimic human speech and its engaging personality. In the wild, these sociable parrots roost communally in large flocks and fly in pairs to feeding sites at dawn. Habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade threaten wild populations.