African Green Bee-eater

It is 16–18 centimetres (6.3–7.1 in) long excluding the elongated central tail feathers, which are an additional 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in) long. The head and body plumage is dull yellowish-green except for a slender black eyestripe with a very narrow blue line on the lower edge, and a black crescent at the top of the breast below the throat. The most distinctive traits of this species are that its throat is also yellowish-green, in contrast to the blue throats of M. orientalis and M. cyanophrys, and the central tail feathers are much longer. The wing and tail feathers are bronzed coppery-green above, and coppery-orange below. The iris is red, the bill is black, and the legs are dark grey. The juveniles are paler and duller overall, lack the elongated tail feathers and black throat crescent. The species also differs from M. orientalis and M. cyanophrys in its voice.

It is found throughout semiarid regions of Africa, its distribution roughly coinciding with the Sahel. It ranges from coast to coast, reaching its western extent in Senegal and eastern extent in Ethiopia. The species has taken advantage of changes to agriculture and increased irrigation in this region, and has thus increased in abundance, expanding its range along the Nile. It colonised Egypt prior to 2001 and now ranges as far north as the Nile Delta. Due to this increasing population and it benefiting from human habitat modification, it is not thought to be under threat.

== References ==