Far from the Palaearctic realm: First breeding record of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater <i>Merops persicus</i> in Peninsular India with notes on its breeding ecology

Abstract The first breeding site of Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus) in Peninsular India was observed in the Andivillai saltpans of Kanniyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. We found a total of 28 breeding burrows distributed into three subsets in the stretch of 30 m. Among 28 nests, 16 were active and 12 were inactive/unused. The active nest-tunnels have a mean tunnel length of 1.53±0.53 m and nest-mouth diameter of 9.93±1.48 cm. While the females excavated tunnels and started brooding males were guarding the colony. The male very often fed the female brooding inside the nest till the hatchlings appeared, and later both parents were observed feeding their chicks during the day. The chicks were first observed peeping out of the tunnels on 22 August 2023. At the end of September few juvenile birds were seen flying along with the adults foraging in the open sky. The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater is considered a passage migrant and winter visitor to the northwestern part of India and vagrant in Southern India, but this study confirmed its breeding in Southern India. Additionally, the study provides baseline information on the breeding ecology of the species in India.