Blue-throated Bee-eater

Adult blue-throated bee-eaters are around 21 cm long, excluding the elongated central tail feathers, which are an additional 9 cm, and a weight of around 34–41 grams. Adults have spectacular plumage with a red-brown crown and nape, dark green wings, blue tail, light green breast and belly, and the signature blue throat. Juveniles are mostly green all over their body, developing their full plumage later; they have a dark green head and wings and light green breast, and also lack the elongated central tail feathers of adults. Both adults and juveniles have black eye stripes. The eyes range between red and brown, or a combination.

They have a wide distribution ranging from southeastern China to the Greater Sundas Islands. The most concentrated distribution is found in Singapore, Malaysia, southern Cambodia, and southern Thailand. Other locations with greater dispersal include Borneo and Java. It is most widespread at low altitudes, between 0–670 m, but is known to occur up to 1,600 m. Their habitat includes a wide variety of flat plains, such as farmland, suburban gardens, riversides, dunes, and sandy clearings. In the winter, some blue-throated bee-eaters move to forest canopies and saltwater channels of mangrove forests. Unlike most bee-eaters which dig nest burrows in near-vertical sand cliffs, they often dig nest burrows nearly horizontally into flat ground. Colony sizes range from 50 to 200 pairs or living completely solitary in the open country.

Migration. Each spring, blue-throated bee-eaters (Merops viridis) along with blue-tailed bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) migrate from Sumatra, cross the Straits of Malacca, and end up on the west coast of Malaysia. The observed flight locomotion from Tanjung Tuan, west coast of Malaysia, was a combination of flapping and gliding flight. Occasionally, they would use the air currents from the sea-breeze to soar upwards. Once reaching land, they would rest on the lighthouse and tree branches for up to ten minutes before continuing eastward. …

Blue-throated bee-eaters make a combination of calls characterised as long calls, alarm calls, chirps, low chirps, purrs, sharp coos, trills, and feeding calls. Long calls have been observed to communicate long distances and can be recognised by their volume and intensity. A long call is performed either during flight or on a perch by stretching and pointing their bill upwards, known as a "long call" posture. Chirps are short and sharp with regular intervals, often used during digs.

They predominantly feed on flying insects such as bees and wasps, though a large percentage of their diet consists of dragonflies, with highest success rate of their catches in sunny conditions. Other insects caught include flies, beetles, and other bugs up to 42mm. Observations found no feeding activities during rain and right after showers. Their feeding patterns are well-matched with the seasonal weather patterns. The highest feeding rate is during breeding season, perfectly matching the sunniest period, right after the rainy season.