Rosy Bee-eater

The rosy bee-eater (Merops malimbicus) is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo.

The adult is a distinctively colored bird that grows to a length of 22 to 25 cm with tail-streamers adding 5 cm to this, and weighing about 45 g. Both sexes have similar features. The forehead and crown are dark grey, the mask black and the chin and cheek are white. The mantle is black, the wings and back are slate-grey and the rump paler grey. The tail is carmine, gradually bleaching to grey. The throat and underparts are bright pink and the undertail coverts are grey. The undersides of the flight feathers and large tail feathers are glossy black. The beak is black, the eye reddish-brown and the leg yellowish-brown. The juvenile is similar in coloring but paler, many of the smaller feathers having pale edges.