ANATOMY OF BIRDS
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
MIGRATIONS OF BIRDS
CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS
LIZARD-TAILED BIRD
AMERICAN TOOTHED-BIRDS
THE OSTRICHES
THE RHEAS
EMEUS AND CASSOWARIES
THE TINAMOUS
THE KIWIS
THE PENGUINS
LOONS AND GREBES
ALBATROSSES & PETRELS
STORK-LIKE BIRDS
GOOSE-LIKE BIRDS
FALCON-LIKE BIRDS
FOWL-LIKE BIRDS
CRANE-LIKE BIRDS
PLOVER-LIKE BIRDS
CUCKOO-LIKE BIRDS
THE ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS
SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS
Birds and Birding's Guide to:
Watching THE ROLLER-LIKE BIRDS
THE ROLLERS AND THEIR ALLIES
THE BEE-EATERS
Plumed Bee-eaters
In the preceding genera the feathers of the breast are of ordinary form, but in the two remaining genera the breast plumes are broad, elongated, and pendent, producing a very elegant appearance.
Of these Forsten's Bee-eater (Meropogon forsteni), the sole representative of its genus, is confined to Celebes.
It is largely green above with the forehead, throat, and breast a deep, glossy cobalt-blue, while the hinder crown, nape, neck, and lower abdomen are blackish brown; the central pair of tail-feathers are elongated as in Merops. This species, according to Dr. A. B. Meyer, who wrote some thirty years ago, frequents the higher trees in the densest forests, and although it is not often seen, it is hardly rare in suitable locations.
Bearded Bee-eaters. Quite similar to the last as regards the breast plumes, but differing in possessing an even tafl and more densely feathered nostrils, are the two species of Bearded Bee-eaters (Nyctiomis), which range from India through Burma and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo.
Both are thirteen or fourteen inches long, the Red-bearded (N. amicta) being largely grass-green above, with the lores and forehead pink, the throat and breast plumes scarlet, and under parts pale green.
The Blue-bearded species (N. athertoni) has the forehead, throat, and breast a rich turquoise-blue, the other parts being largely greenish. They arc forest-haunting birds, usually seen solitary or in pairs, perching on the higher trees and feeding on insects, which they capture on the wing. Their nesting habits so far as known are similar to those of Bee-eaters in general,
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