# Black bee-eater

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The **black bee-eater** (***Merops gularis***) is a species of [bird](/source/Bird) in the family [Meropidae](/source/Meropidae). It is native to the [African tropical rainforest](/source/Tropical_forest) where it is found at the edges of the rainforest and in [secondary woodland](/source/Secondary_woodland).

## Description

The black bee-eater grows to a length of about 20 cm (8 in). It is a predominantly black bird, with a scarlet chin and throat, a streaked breast, a pale blue eyebrow, blue belly, undertail-coverts and rump, and rufous primaries.[1]

## Distribution

It is native to the intra-[tropical rainforest](/source/Guineo-Congolian_region) of [Sub-Saharan Africa](/source/Sub-Saharan_Africa).

## Subspecies

There are two subspecies: *M. g. gularis*, which is found from [Sierra Leone](/source/Sierra_Leone) to southeast [Nigeria](/source/Nigeria). It has the forehead blue, and a distinct bright cobalt-blue superciliary stripe. Some southeast Nigerian and west [Cameroon](/source/Cameroon) birds are intermediate between this and *M. g. australis*, which is found from southeast [Nigeria](/source/Nigeria) to northeast [Democratic Republic of the Congo](/source/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo), south to northern [Angola](/source/Angola). This sub-species has no superciliary stripe; forehead black, sometimes with a few blue feathers; the light azure-blue streaks on breast and even the belly are sometimes scarlet-tipped. Wing slightly longer than the nominate subspecies.[1]

## Status

The black bee-eater has a very wide range and although the population size has not been quantified but it is said to be widespread and common with a large total population, and the [International Union for Conservation of Nature](/source/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature) has assessed its conservation status as being of "[least concern](/source/Least-concern_species)".[2]

## References

1. Fry, C. Hilary & Fry, Kathie (2010). [*Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers*](https://books.google.com/books?id=U_XUBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA249). Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-4081-3525-9.

1. BirdLife International (2016). "*Merops gularis*". Vol. 2016. [doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683670A92995112.en](https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683670A92995112.en). Retrieved 12 November 2021.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Black bee-eater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_bee-eater) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_bee-eater?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.