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.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Cooperative breederCooperative breeding is a social system where offspring receive care not only from their parents but also from additional group members, often call...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe 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.
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-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.
European bee-eaters are carnivores (insectivores) and mainly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets.
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.
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.
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.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...