Animalia > Chordata > Aves > Coraciiformes > Meropidae > Merops > Merops persicusMerops persicus (Blue-cheeked Bee-eater)The blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. The genus name Merops is Ancient Greek for "bee-eater", and persicus is Latin for "Persian". It breeds in Northern Africa, and the Middle East from eastern Turkey to Kazakhstan and India. It is generally strongly migratory, wintering in tropical Africa, although some populations breed and live year round in the Sahel. This species occurs as a rare vagrant north of its breeding range, with most vagrants occurring in Italy and Greece. |
Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) Unique (100) Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) Unique & Vulnerable (100) ED Score: 4.97418 EDGE Score: 1.78745 |
Adult Weight [1] | 49 grams | Birth Weight [1] | 6.5 grams | | Diet [2] | Carnivore (Invertebrates) | Diet - Invertibrates [2] | 100 % | Forages - Aerial [2] | 10 % | Forages - Mid-High [2] | 50 % | Forages - Understory [2] | 40 % | | Clutch Size [5] | 6 | Clutches / Year [3] | 1 | Fledging [3] | 30 days | Incubation [4] | 24 days | Migration [6] | Intercontinental |
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Name |
Countries |
Ecozone |
Biome |
Species |
Report |
Climate |
Land Use |
Alai-Western Tian Shan steppe |
Kazahkstan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan |
Palearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Albertine Rift montane forests |
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi,Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Angolan Miombo woodlands |
Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Angolan montane forest-grassland mosaic |
Angola |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Angolan Mopane woodlands |
Angola, Namibia |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands |
Angola |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Arabian Desert and East Sahero-Arabian xeric shrublands |
Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Egypt , Iraq, Jordan, Syria |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Azerbaijan shrub desert and steppe |
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Badghyz and Karabil semi-desert |
Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Tajikistan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Baluchistan xeric woodlands |
Pakistan, Afghanistan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Cameroonian Highlands forests |
Cameroon, Nigeria |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests |
Iran, Azerbaijan |
Palearctic |
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests |
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Caspian lowland desert |
Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Caucasus mixed forests |
Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia |
Palearctic |
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests |
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Central Afghan Mountains xeric woodlands |
Afghanistan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands |
Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests |
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests |
South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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East African halophytics |
Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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East African mangroves |
Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia |
Afrotropic |
Mangroves |
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East African montane forests |
Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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East African montane moorlands |
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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East Sudanian savanna |
Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Eastern Anatolian montane steppe |
Iran, Turkey, Armenia |
Palearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Eastern Arc forests |
Tanzania, Kenya |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Eastern Guinean forests |
Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests |
Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Syria |
Palearctic |
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub |
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Eastern Miombo woodlands |
Tanzania, Mozambique |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic |
Zimbabwe, Mozambique |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Eritrean coastal desert |
Eritrea |
Afrotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Ethiopian montane forests |
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands |
Ethiopia, Eritrea |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Ethiopian montane moorlands |
Ethiopia |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands |
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia |
Afrotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Guinean forest-savanna mosaic |
Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Guinean mangroves |
Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire |
Afrotropic |
Mangroves |
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Guinean montane forests |
Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert |
Oman, United Arab Emirates |
Afrotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Indus Valley desert |
Pakistan |
Indo-Malayan |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Inner Niger Delta flooded savanna |
Mali |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Itigi-Sumbu thicket |
Tanzania, Zambia |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands |
Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Kaokoveld desert |
Namibia, Angola |
Afrotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests |
India |
Indo-Malayan |
Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests |
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Kopet Dag semi-desert |
Iran, Turkmenistan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe |
Iran, Turkmenistan |
Palearctic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Lake Chad flooded savanna |
Nigeria, Chad, Niger |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Mandara Plateau mosaic |
Cameroon, Nigeria |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Maputaland coastal forest mosaic |
Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Masai xeric grasslands and shrublands |
Kenya |
Afrotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe |
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia |
Palearctic |
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub |
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Mediterranean woodlands and forests |
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia |
Palearctic |
Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub |
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Mesopotamian shrub desert |
Iraq, Syria, Jordan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Middle East steppe |
Syria, Iraq |
Palearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Mount Cameroon and Bioko montane forests |
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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North Saharan steppe and woodlands |
Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Northeastern Congolian lowland forests |
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republic of the Congo |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets |
Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic |
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Central African Republic, Cameroon |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic |
Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Northwestern Congolian lowland forests |
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Northwestern thorn scrub forests |
India, Pakistan |
Indo-Malayan |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Paropamisus xeric woodlands |
Afghanistan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Persian Gulf desert and semi-desert |
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Pontic steppe |
Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine |
Palearctic |
Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Rann of Kutch seasonal salt marsh |
India, Pakistan |
Indo-Malayan |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Red Sea Nubo-Sindian tropical desert and semi-desert |
Egypt, Jordan, Saudia Arabia, Yemen, Oman |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Registan-North Pakistan sandy desert |
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Rwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands |
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Saharan flooded grasslands |
Sudan |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Sahelian Acacia savanna |
Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Serengeti volcanic grasslands |
Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Somali Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets |
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Somali montane xeric woodlands |
Somalia |
Afrotropic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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South Iran Nubo-Sindian desert and semi-desert |
Iran, Iraq, Pakistan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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South Malawi montane forest-grassland mosaic |
Malawi, Mozambique |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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South Saharan steppe and woodlands |
Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Southern Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets |
Tanzania, Kenya |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Southern Africa bushveld |
Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Southern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic |
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Southern Miombo woodlands |
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Southern Rift montane forest-grassland mosaic |
Malawi, Tanzania |
Afrotropic |
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands |
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Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic |
Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Taklimakan desert |
China |
Palearctic |
Deserts and Xeric Shrublands |
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Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh |
Iran, Iraq |
Palearctic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Victoria Basin forest-savanna mosaic |
Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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West Sudanian savanna |
Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Western Congolian forest-savanna mosaic |
Gabon, Congo, Democratic Rep of the Congo, Angola |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Western Congolian swamp forests |
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Western Guinean lowland forests |
Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests |
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Western Zambezian grasslands |
Angola, Zambia |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Zagros Mountains forest steppe |
Iran |
Palearctic |
Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests |
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Zambezian and Mopane woodlands |
South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands |
Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands |
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Zambezian coastal flooded savanna |
Mozambique |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Zambezian Cryptosepalum dry forests |
Zambia |
Afrotropic |
Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests |
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Zambezian flooded grasslands |
Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Zambezian halophytics |
Mozambique, Botswana |
Afrotropic |
Flooded Grasslands and Savannas |
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Name |
Location |
Endemic |
Species |
Website |
Caucasus |
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia, Turkey |
No |
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Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa |
Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania |
No |
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Eastern Afromontane |
Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zimbabwe |
No |
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Guinean Forests of West Africa |
Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo |
No |
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Horn of Africa |
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Oman, Somalia, Yemen |
No |
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Irano-Anatolian |
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Turkmenistan |
No |
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Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany |
Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland |
No |
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Mediterranean Basin |
Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey |
No |
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Mountains of Central Asia |
Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
No |
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Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1Storchová, Lenka; Hořák, David (2018), Data from: Life-history characteristics of European birds, Dryad, Dataset, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n6k3n ♦ 2Hamish Wilman, Jonathan Belmaker, Jennifer Simpson, Carolina de la Rosa, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, and Walter Jetz. 2014. EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95:2027 ♦ 3Nathan P. Myhrvold, Elita Baldridge, Benjamin Chan, Dhileep Sivam, Daniel L. Freeman, and S. K. Morgan Ernest. 2015. An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96:3109 ♦ 4del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ♦ 5Jetz W, Sekercioglu CH, Böhning-Gaese K (2008) The Worldwide Variation in Avian Clutch Size across Species and Space PLoS Biol 6(12): e303. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060303 ♦ 6Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 01, 2010 at animaldiversity.orgEcoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 Wildfinder Database |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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