European Bee-eater

Description:

The European Bee-eater is a brightly colored bird, roughly the size of a smaller dove. It is considered as the most colourful bird of Europe and is renowned for its vibrant plumage, consisting of predominantly golden-yellow underparts, chestnut-colored upperparts, and striking turquoise blue on its wings and tail. As its name suggests, the European Bee-eater predominantly feeds on bees, wasps and hornets; and other flying insects, which it catches mid-air using its long, slender bill. It's known for its distinctive feeding behavior of catching insects on the wing and then returning to a perch to eat them, often removing the stinger of bees before consuming them.

Habitat:

In terms of habitat, European Bee-eaters are typically found in open country areas such as grasslands, savannas, agricultural fields, and river valleys. They prefer areas with suitable nesting sites, often selecting sandy banks or cliffs where they can excavate nesting burrows. These birds are also known to inhabit areas with nearby water sources, as they require moist soil for nesting. They are found throughout Europe, North Africa, and parts of western Asia.

Notes:

1.) Another log quest finished relatively successfully - it's been a week that I chased this group every evening, but was unable to get any decent pics of birds on perches. The quest was a bit frustrating, but also enjoyable - long walks, running, hiding, not-breeding for moments, observing, chasing them but seeing many other birds - so well worth it. And then, SORRY for grainy pics this was the only moment I caught up with them on perch, but from very far away - the pic No4 is clicked with my optical zoom maxed and no crop... Anyway, pics are still usable... 2.) Now, when it comes to nesting - they nest in burrows excavated into sandy or loamy soil. They often choose steep, sandy cliffs, riverbanks, or quarries for nesting sites - which in our case in Chichaoua are all river banks - river is dried up, showing sandy cliffs all along. Both male and female bee-eaters participate in excavating the nesting burrow, using their bills and feet to dig into the soil. The burrow can be several meters long, ending in a nesting chamber. 3.) After the burrow is excavated, the female bee-eater lays a clutch of eggs, typically numbering around 5 to 7. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which lasts for about 21 to 25 days. Once the eggs hatch, both parents feed the chicks a diet of insects, primarily bees and wasps. The chicks fledge after about four weeks but may remain near the nesting site for some time, depending on their development. 4.) Main threats to European Bee-eaters are habitat loss and degradation due to agricultural intensification, urbanization, and infrastructure development; use of pesticides; and hunting and nest disturbances.