Volume 19, Plate VIII / Ornithology (Birds)

Blue-Bellied Bee-Eater

Merops cyanogaster

A particularly splendid and rare bee-eater, smaller than the common species, at once known by its bright crimson throat and ultramarine-blue belly and tail-covers. The upper plumage is parrot-green with a cinnamon neck, the breast and flanks cinnamon brown, the lesser quills tipped velvet-black edged with blue, and the bill and legs black, total length about seven inches.