The blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus) is predominantly green; its face has blue sides with a black eye stripe. 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. When nesting the blue-cheeked bee-eater digs a long tunnel in sand banks in which four to eight eggs are laid.
