European Bee-Eater
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Subclass
Infraclass
Superorder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Merops apiaster
Population size
14-25.2 Mln
Life Span
5.9 years
Weight
44-78
1.6-2.8
goz
g oz 
Length
27-29
10.6-11.4
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
44-49
17.3-19.3
cminch
cm inch 

The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. As their name suggests, these brightly-colored birds predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which they catch on the wing from an open perch.

Di

Diurnal

Ca

Carnivore

In

Insectivores

Te

Terrestrial

Co

Congregatory

Ov

Oviparous

Ar

Arboreal

Al

Altricial

Co

Cooperative breeder

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

Co

Colonial

Fl

Flocking

Mi

Migrating

E

starts with

Appearance

The European bee-eater is a richly coloured, slender bird. It has brown and yellow upper parts, whilst the wings are green and the beak is black. Sexes are alike. Female tends to have greener rather than gold feathers on their shoulders. Non-breeding plumage is much duller and with a blue-green back and no elongated central tail feathers. The juvenile resembles a non-breeding adult but with less variation in the feather colours. Adults begin to moult in June or July and complete the process by August or September. There is a further moult into breeding plumage in winter in Africa.

Distribution

Geography

European bee-eaters breed in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. These birds are strongly migratory and spend winter in tropical Africa. The southern African population is resident and remains year-round in its native range. European bee-eaters breed in open country in warmer climates. They prefer to live in woods, river valleys, meadows and plains, hillsides, riverbanks with some shrubs, cultivated areas with some trees, pastures, rice fields, and semi-deserts. In Africa, they inhabit savannas, near lakes, and in cultivated areas.

European Bee-Eater habitat map

Climate zones

European Bee-Eater habitat map
European Bee-Eater
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

European bee-eaters are gregarious birds. They nest colonially and feed and roost communally. European bee-eaters are active during the day spending most of their time foraging. They catch insects in flight, in sorties from an open perch. Before eating a bee, the bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface. It can eat around 250 bees a day. European bee-eaters are vocal birds, especially during foraging and migration. Their common call is a distinctive, mellow, liquid, and burry ‘prreee’ or ‘prruup’ and can be heard on long distances. When at the nest sites these birds are usually more quiet.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

European bee-eaters are carnivores (insectivores) and mainly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
starts in May
INCUBATION PERIOD
3 weeks
INDEPENDENT AGE
1-2 mos
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
5-8 eggs

European bee-eaters are monogamous and form pair bonds that remain together year after year. During courtship, the male feeds large items to the female while eating the small ones himself. Colonies nest in sandy banks, preferably near river shores, usually at the beginning of May. The pair excavates a relatively long tunnel, sometimes with the assistance of some “helpers”, in which females lay 5 to 8 spherical white eggs around the beginning of June. Both parents care for the eggs, which they brood for about 3 weeks. The chicks hatch blind and naked. The young leave the nest approximately 1 month after hatching but parents and “helpers” continue to feed them for about 3 weeks more after fledging. Young European bee-eaters become reproductively mature and start to breed when they are 1 year old.

Population

Population threats

European bee-eaters are not considered threatened at present. However, these birds are killed in some countries for consumption or as pests. They also suffer from the use of pesticides which reduce populations of their insect prey. The loss of their nesting habitat can also pose a serious threat in the future. Canalization of rivers leads to the loss of river banks in which bee-eaters make their nest tunnels.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the European bee-eater is around 14,000,000-25,250,000 mature individuals. In Europe, the breeding population consists of 2,800,000-5,050,000 pairs, which equates to 5,600,000-10,100,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.

References

1. European bee-eater Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_bee-eater
2. European bee-eater on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22683756/155512816
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/702363

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