Description:

A large, slim mostly green bee-eater with long wings. From Blue-tailed by bronze-green tail, whitish forehead and turquoise-white supercilium. Turquoise and green on ear-coverts, and more restricted chestnut on throat. Upperparts and underparts are a purer green. Juvenile similar to juvenile Blue-tailed.

Distribution:

Uncommon passage migrant mainly through the western parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Occupies semi-desert, steppe, dunes, cultivation, thorn woodland and sandy slopes with gulleys and ravines, usually near water with reeds. Mostly below 2000m.

Behavior:

Feeds by making long pursuit-flights from telephone wires, fences, treetops, even from ground; makes height with fast, even wingbeats, glides, then twists abruptly after its prey. Returns to perch to knock prey. Eats mainly hymenopterans on breeding grounds and mainly dragonflies. Catches very small insects as well as large beetles, locusts and cicadas.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.