Scientific Name: Merops leschenaulti

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Merops leschenaulti is a vibrant-colored member of the bee-eater family that breeds in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even in South East Asian countries as well as in the archipelago of Indonesia. A slender bird that is mostly green in color, with blue in the rump and belly, the face and throat forming a dazzling yellow with a black eye stripe, and the crown and nape painted in an opulent and vivid chestnut. This bee-eater possesses a curved beak, but lacks protracted central tail feathers characteristic of most bee-eaters.

Three subspecies are identified:

• M. l. leschenaulti Vieillot, 1817 – India and Sri Lanka to central south China, Indochina and Malay Peninsula
• M. l. quinticolor Vieillot, 1817 – far south Sumatra, Java and Bali 
• M. l. andamanensis Marien, 1950 – Andaman Islands

The Chestnut-headed Bee-Eater is approximately 18–20 cm (7.1–7.9 in) in overall length and weighs 26–33 g (0.92–1.16 oz); a slender bird that can be seen diving around the botanical gardens from an open perch, eating bees, wasps, hornets and other insects. The foraging behavior of the Chestnut-headed Bee-Eater is communal, where they roost and feed together.

Laying their eggs in sandy banks, the Chestnut-headed Bee-Eaters architecture a long tunnel where 5-6 spherical, white eggs are deposited. The male and the female of the species are both known to chaperone the eggs and feed the young.

Source: iNaturalist – https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/2208-Merops-leschenaulti