African Green Bee-eater

The African green bee-eater (Merops viridissimus) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found throughout arid Sahel region of Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia, and has expanded its range north to Egypt over the past few decades. == Taxonomy == Although initially described as distinct species, the African and Arabian (M. cyanophrys) green bee-eaters were lumped with the Asian green bee-eater (M. orientalis) as the green bee-eater by Sibley and Monroe in 1990. However, in 2014, the IUCN Red List and BirdLife International again split them as distinct species. A 2020 study found significant differences in morphology and voice between all three species, so they were also split from one another by the International Ornithologists' Union in 2021. Three subspecies are currently accepted: M. v. viridissimus: most of Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia M. v. flavoviridis: Chad to eastern Sudan M. v. cleopatra: northern Sudan and Nile Valley of Egypt A 2004 phylogenetic analysis based on plumage recovered the M. viridissimus as sister to M. orientalis, with the clade containing both being sister to M. cyanophrys. However, the IOC classifies it as sister to M. cyanophrys. == Description == It is 16–18 centimetres (6.3–7.1…