Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Merops persicus Pallas, 1773 (1, 1)
Photo © Kris Webb
STATUS
Western and Central Palearctic. Polytypic.
OVERVIEW
The first for Britain was not identified correctly until 41 years later when J. L. F. Parslow examined it at the Isles of Scilly museum. It was another ten years before it was formally accepted.
RECORD
1). 1921 Isles of Scilly St Mary's, adult, shot, 13th July, M. s. persicus, photo, now at Isles of Scilly Museum.
(J. L. F. Parslow, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 92: 57-59; BOURC (1972), Ibis 114: 446; Penhallurick, 1978; BOURC (2003), Ibis 145: 178-183; Flood, Hudson & Thomas, 2007: plate 94).
History J. L. F. Parslow (1972) in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Vol. XCII. pp. 57-59, says: 'In June 1962, through the courtesy of Lt.-Commander T. M. Dorrien Smith, I was able to examine the unique collection of birds which was then housed at Tresco Abbey, Isles of Scilly. Virtually all the specimens had been collected in Scilly and among many British rarities was one specimen labelled as a Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) which in fact proved to be an adult Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus.
According to the Tresco Abbey record books, three Bee-eaters had been killed at Scilly. Two of these were immatures, collected in September 1901 (cf. Clark 1906) and on 8th October 1906 (cf. Ogilvie-Grant 1906), and the third an adult, shot on 13th July 1921.
It seemed likely that it was this last bird which was the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, and a conversation I had with Mrs. Eleanor Dorrien Smith, widow of Major A. A. Dorrien Smith, who was responsible for building up the collection, showed this to be so. According to Mrs. Dorrien Smith, it was Major Dorrien Smith's general policy that only one specimen of each species should be obtained for the collection.
However, when an adult Bee-eater was reported from St. Mary's in July 1921 he asked for it to be shot as the only specimen of M. apiaster in the collection were the two immatures. The bird was therefore killed and sent to Pratt & Sons of Brighton for preparation and mounting. It was then to be added to the collection where for forty years it was assumed to be an adult M. apiaster.
When housed at Tresco Abbey the specimen was in a sealed cabinet and I was unable to handle it. The collection has, however, now been moved to the new museum on St. Mary's, and through the kindness of Mr. P. Z. Mackenzie and the Isles of Scilly Museum Association, I was recently able to re-examine, handle and measure the specimen, and have it photographed plate.
Specific identification. Only a brief description is given since the Plate is sufficient to confirm the specific identification, and a sketch of the head pattern, which identifies the subspecies (see below) is shown in the figure.
Upperparts: Predominantly bright green, with an admixture of pale blue and brown (most feathers green with brown bases and pale blue tips), on crown, nape and mantle, somewhat browner on lower back and bluer on lower rump, with tail olive-brown; tail more-or-less square with one of the central feathers 41 mm longer than the other rectrices (the other elongated central feather had broken off). Wing-coverts brownish-green, some with pale blue or bluish-green tips; secondaries brownish-olive on outer webs and near vanes on inner webs, rest of inner webs warm chestnut-brown; all secondaries tipped blackish. Primaries similar but with greyish-blue wash on outer webs and more extensive black tips to outermost feathers.
Underparts: Chin ochreous-yellow merging into chestnut throat-patch. Breast and belly bright green, some feathers tipped turquoise or pale blue; under tail-coverts greenish-torquoise, undertail-feathers greyish-brown. Underwing chestnut with blackish-brown tips to secondaries and innermost primaries, this dark colouring extending along the distal half of the outermost primaries.
Measurements: Wing 158 mm; bill 45 mm from feathers, 35 mm from nostril; tarsus 15 mm; tail 140 mm (central feather), other rectrices 99 mm.
Subspecific identification....The narrow white band beneath the dark facial mask (see Figure) is sufficient to distinguish the Isles of Scilly specimen M. s. persicus (cf. Vaurie 1965). The only other British record of the species - also in the Isles of Scilly, on St. Agnes on 22nd June 1951 - refers to a sight record in which the subspecies, although tentatively ascribed to M. s. persicus on the basis of its relatively short attenuated central tail-feathers, could not be identified with certainty (Anon. 1952; cf. British Ornithologists' Union 1971). The specimen reported here therefore not only pre-dates the only other existing record but is also the first of the subspecies M. S. persicus in Britain.'
Admitted nationally in the Seventh Records Committee Report as the first for Britain (BOURC (1972) Ibis 114: 446).
Comment The first record was shot on St. Mary's, Isles of Scilly on 13th July 1921. The record did not come to light until 1962 when J. L. F. Parslow was examining the collection of birds at Tresco Abbey as part of the revision by the BOU of the British list which was published in 1971. The bird belonged to the migratory race persicus.
1950-57 RECORD
2). 1951 Isles of Scilly St Agnes, adult, 22nd June.
(H. Quick, British Birds 45: 225-227; H. M. Quick, Cornwall Bird-Watching & Preservation Society Report 1951: 41-42; BOURC (1956), Ibis 98: 154; Quick, 1964; Penhallurick, 1978).
History H. M. Quick (1951) in the Cornwall Bird-Watching & Preservation Society Report, Vol. XXI. pp. 41-42, says: 'June 22nd. On St. Agnes I saw an unidentifiable bird of very greenish hue skim across the path. A little later I was called out by a neighbour, who said that Mr. Lewis Hicks had seen a strange and wonderful bird: he had called his wife out to see it in order to confirm that there really was such a bird about. Mr. Hicks guided us to where he had seen the bird, which returned and settled at long distance.
The curved bill and long tail feathers made it easily identifiable as a Bee-eater. It allowed me to approach it closely. It favoured a particular stretch of telegraph wires, to which it returned after making sallies to catch insects, Once, its prey escaped from its bill, but was recaptured after a lightning dive and turn, the bird again perching on the wire. It appeared to be about the size of a Cuckoo and was generally of a most beautiful iridescent green tint with rather darker primaries. There was a dark copper spot on the throat and a black line through the eye. The forehead and crown appeared to be pale blue. I noted the plumage carefully so as to report its sex and age, not because I thought it was other than the common Bee-eater.
When I referred to The Handbook, I found that the common Bee-eater is russet on the head and mantle, with a yellow throat patch; whereas this bird was green with a chestnut throat patch; the juvenile was described as greener than the adult, I returned to the bird, which gave no more close-up views at rest, but excellent views in flight, when a particularly noticeable feature was the copper colour on the underside of the wing. The shining green body, with flashes of russet as the wing rose, made a very striking picture against the background of dark green hedges. In flight, at a distance, it showed a characteristic silhouette, rather like a Swallow with the body considerably elongated. No note was heard from it, and after four or five hours it was not seen again.
On thinking over my observations of this very remarkable bird, two points struck me as peculiar. If the bird was in fact a juvenile Bee-eater, as suggested by the greenish plumage, then the tail-feathers were unduly long and prominent, Also there was no mention of the exceedingly conspicuous copper underwing, one of the most noticeable characteristics of the bird which I had seen. I, therefore, wrote to British Birds and was informed that the description agreed for the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, a species not previously recorded for the British Isles.'
[Mr. W. B. Alexander, of Oxford, writes: - "There is no doubt that the bird seen by Miss Quick was a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. In view of the fact that she thought the projecting central tail-feathers were about as long as those of the European Bee-eater, it was probably of the race which breeds from India to Palestine and Egypt and winters south to South Africa".]
NOT PROVEN
0). 1910 Norfolk Mundesley, seen, 13th May.
(J. H. Gurney, jun., Zoologist 1911: 167).
[KAN].
History J. H. Gurney, jun., of Keswick Hall, Norwich (1911) in The Zoologist, 4th series, Vol. XV. p. 167, says: 'May 13th. E.S.E., 4. A bird, which, from the description, was possibly a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus) (cf. British Birds, IV. p. 126), was seen by Capt. S. E. Holland and others in an osier-bed at Mundesley-on-Sea. Within a few days of its occurrence a Roller was also seen at Garboldisham by Mr. A. R. Dunell. A rather high easterly wind had prevailed for some days, which may have had to do with the Bee-eaters advent, if it was one.'
Comment Not specifically identified. Not acceptable.
