From the archive record
A thorny Prosopis juliflora branch becomes the launching pad for this Merops orientalis or Green Bee-eater in Gujarat, India. Green bee-eaters are migratory birds and are identified by their large head, short neck and short legs. They are brightly colored and the dominant colour found in all species is green. The green bee-eater (Merops orientalis), sometimes called the little green bee-eater, is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family. It is prone to seasonal movements and is found widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and the Gambia to Ethiopia, the Nile valley, western Arabia and Asia through India to Vietnam. They are mainly insect eaters and they are found in grassland, thin scrub and forest often quite far from water. Several regional plumage variations are