Little Bee-eater, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

The Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family Meropidae. It is resident in much of sub-Saharan Africa. This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It has green upper parts, yellow throat, black gorget, and rich brown upper breast fading to buffish ocre on the belly. The wings are green and brown, and the beak is black. It reaches a length of 15-17 cm, which makes it the smallest African bee-eater. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Broadcasting Company and traveled to Africa from June 1966 to early August 1966.