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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut	European Bee-eater	Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Nom scientifique	Merops apiaster	Merops philippinus
Ordre	Coraciiformes	Coraciiformes
Famille	Meropidae	Meropidae
Statut de conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern
Longueur	28,0 cm (11.0 in)	—
Envergure	38,0 cm (15.0 in)	25,9 cm (10.2 in)
Poids	56,0 g (1.98 oz)	36,0 g (1.27 oz)
Régime alimentaire	Primarily bees, wasps, and hornets caught in flight. Removes stingers by beating prey against a …	--
Taille de la couvée	4-10	5-7
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

European Bee-eater 28,0 cm

Blue-tailed Bee-eater —

Envergure

European Bee-eater 38,0 cm

Blue-tailed Bee-eater 25,9 cm

Poids

European Bee-eater 56,0 g

Blue-tailed Bee-eater 36,0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

🌿 Wetland

European Bee-eater only

🌾 Grassland

Blue-tailed Bee-eater only

🏖️ Coastal

European Bee-eater

Open country with scattered trees, sandy banks, and river cliffs for nesting. Breeds in colonies in tunnels dug into earth banks.

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Song & Call Comparison

European Bee-eater

Chant

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.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

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Geographic Range & Migration

European Bee-eater

Southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Winters in tropical Africa. A long-distance migrant.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

European Bee-eater

Least Concern

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

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How to Tell Them Apart

European Bee-eater

Plumage

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.

Bec

Long, slender, slightly decurved black bill

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

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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.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

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