Africa Wild

441. Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides (Rooiborsbyvreter)

Description
The Southern Carmine Bee-eater has a height of 27 cms and weighs around 62 gms. The head is green while the bill is black. It has a pink coloured throat, grey legs and a red coloured back. The eyes are brown.

Distribution and habitat
Endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, occurring from Tanzania south to north-eastern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), northern and eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa. Here it is locally common in savanna, swamps with scattered dead trees and cultivated land, especially in areas surrounding rivers and lakes.

Food
As the name suggests, it eats mainly bees though they also consume other flying insects, which are generally larger than the prey of other bee-eaters. Does most of its foraging aerially, often flying long distances to take advantage of eruptions in insect population. It is quick to take advantage of bushfires, catching the insects as they flee.

Breeding
Southern Carmine Bee-eaters form large flocks and nest in burrows dug into riverbanks. It is monogamous, living and breeding in huge colonies of 100 to 1000 nests. It may rarely change the colony site, sometimes moving 7 km's in the process.
The nest is excavated by both sexes, consisting of a 1-3.5 m long tunnel ending in an unlined nest chamber. It is usually dug into sandy riverbanks, ditches or sloping ground.
Egg-laying season is year-round, peaking from September-October.
It lays 1-6 eggs, which are incubated by both sexes, for 11-13 days.
The chicks stay in the nest for 11-20 days, and are brooded continuously by both parents for the whole nestling period.

Sources: biodiversityexplorer, ARKive

Southern Carmine Bee-eater

Southern Carmine Bee-eater, taken close to Girivana near Satara.

Southern carmine bee-eater (Southern Kruger)

438. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster (Europese Byvreter)

Description
The European Bee-eater has a height of 29 cms and weighs around 52 gms. It is a colourful bird. The head is blue, chestnut and the bill is coloured grey. It has a yellow coloured throat, black legs and a blue coloured back. The eyes are red. In breeding plumage, it has a rich chestnut crown that blends into gold on its back. The forehead is white, the throat is yellow bordered by black, and the underparts are blue. Male European bee-eaters have a chestnut-coloured patch in the middle of the wing, in females this patch is usually smaller or even absent. Occasionally, females may also be distinguished from the males by having a green back. The wings and backs of juvenile European bee-eaters are entirely green, and the eyes are brown, in contrast to the bright red eyes of adults.

Call
The call of the European bee-eater sounds like a rolling ‘prrt’.

Distribution and habitat
Common and widespread, with a worldwide population of 4 million, occurring in Europe (mostly in the warmer southern parts), south-west Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In southern Africa it is a non-breeding visitor to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern and central South Africa, avoiding excessively arid or wet areas. It also has a breeding population in the Western and Eastern Cape, where it generally prefers temperate habitats, especially in the fynbos biome. The European bee-eater prefers open landscapes with sheltered valleys that have grassy, marshy terrain with few trees.
The majority of the population migrates to spend winter in sub-Saharan Africa, but it may also overwinter in India.

Movements and migrations
Its movements are complex, with breeding and non-breeding populations in southern Africa.
One population breeds in various areas of Eurasia and northern Africa, moving to down to south-central and southern Africa in October in the non-breeding season, leaving again in March. This population occurs in Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the northern parts of southern Africa.
The southern African breeding population arrives from their non-breeding grounds in central Africa in September. They mainly breed in the Western and Eastern Cape, leaving southern Africa in the period from January-February.

Food
Feeds exclusively on insects, eating mainly bees, wasps, flying ants and termites. It mainly hunts aerially, acrobatically hawking insects and sometimes ascending to 150 m above ground! It also catches insects from a perch, regularly returning to kill and feed on the caught prey item.
The European bee-eater uses a clever way of dealing with stinging insects like bees; after initially hitting the head it wipes the abdomen of the insect on the perch to discharge the sting. During the courtship and laying periods, the male fulfils part of the female’s food requirements by bringing her prey. After the young have fledged, the parents continue to feed them for a considerable time, as catching insects on the wing is a skill that takes time to learn.

Breeding
Monogamous colonial nester, nesting in groups of 10-30, sometimes 100 pairs! It often nests with other bird species, such as Banded martin, Brown-throated martin and Pied starling. Breeding pairs are assisted by non-breeding individuals and sometimes juveniles.
Both sexes excavate the nest, which is a 0.7-2.0 m long tunnel ending in a chamber about 25 cm wide. It is dug into riverbanks, gullies, or quarries with dry clay.
Egg-laying season is usually from October-May.
It lays 2-6 eggs, which are incubated for 19-28 days (recorded in Europe).
The chicks stay in the nest for about 30-31 days, (recorded in Europe) after which they may come back to the nest to roost.

Sources: biodiversityexplorer, ARKive, National Gographic

European Bee-eater

The European Bee-eater - as per Sprocky's beautiful picture, are one of the Bee-eater species that migrate.

Toko wrote:438. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster (Europese Byvreter)


Movements and migrations
Its movements are complex, with breeding and non-breeding populations in southern Africa.
One population breeds in various areas of Eurasia and northern Africa, moving down to south-central and southern Africa in October in the non-breeding season, leaving again in March. This population occurs in Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the northern parts of southern Africa.
The southern African breeding population arrives from their non-breeding grounds in central Africa in September. They mainly breed in the Western and Eastern Cape, leaving southern Africa in the period from January-February.

Dewi wrote:

Bee-eaters hunt insects by perching on a prominent branch or twig and search for passing prey. They fly out to snatch the insect in flight before returning to their perch to feed.

Referring to Dewi's post I would like to add :

Bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects which are caught in the air.

While they pursue any type of flying insect, honey bees predominate in their diet.

Before eating its meal, a bee-eater removes the stinger by repeatedly hitting and rubbing the insect on a hard surface.
During this process, pressure is applied to the insect thereby extracting most of the venom.

The birds only catch prey that fly and ignore flying insects once they land. - This was interesting to me.

Some of my first pics...taken in Pilansberg in December

Courtship 101: Treat her to dinner...

Amoli wrote:The European Bee-eater - are one of the Bee-eater species that migrate.

Toko wrote:438. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster (Europese Byvreter)

Movements and migrations
........ moving down to south-central and southern Africa in October in the non-breeding season, leaving again in March.

I took a drive out to Rietvlei yesterday to say goodbye to our European Bee-eaters.

They were in heavy discussions and planning mode ... -O


while others were doing the practice runs which will be followed at the time of leaving...

fist we group...


then the first take off...


then we wait a little...


and then the next take off...


and so shall we carry on until the last one checks all has left...


whistling... bye bye birdies... see you after winter...