Little Bee-eater
Merops pusillus
Bee-eaters (Meropidae) · Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes)
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Often mixed up with
In quizzes, players most often confuse Little Bee-eater with these birds— either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.
| Species | Mix-ups |
|---|---|
| Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus | 1 |
| Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla | 1 |
Family
The bee-eaters are a group of birds in the family Meropidae, containing three genera and thirty-one species. Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers.
Order
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base), though in many kingfishers one of these is missing. In the past, Coraciiformes encompassed all anisodactyl (including syndactyl) members of the Cavitaves.