A sure sign that Spring is heading our way albeit slowly. -O
Bee-eaters - Bird of the Month: October 2012 *
Re: Bee-eaters - Bird of the Month: October 2012
Good one Amoli.
A sure sign that Spring is heading our way albeit slowly. -O
A sure sign that Spring is heading our way albeit slowly. -O
Dewi
What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on? (H D Thoreau)
Re: Bee-eaters - Bird of the Month: October 2012
440. Blue-cheeked Bee-Eater Merops persicus
Description
A richly-coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green; its face has blue sides with a black eye stripe, and a yellow and brown throat; the beak is black. It can reach a length of 31 cm, with the two elongated central tail feathers adding another 7 cm. Sexes are mostly alike but the tail-streamers of the female are shorter.
Distribution and habitat
Occurs across sub-Saharan Africa, largely excluding Sudan and northern DRC. In southern Africa it is locally common in northern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), northern and south-eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa. It generally prefers savanna, open lake shores with reeds, wooded swamps and bushy grassland.
Movements and Migrations
Palearctic breeding migrant, arriving in southern Africa from October-November and leaving for its breeding grounds in Eurasia and North Africa in the period from March-May.
Food
Insectivorous, usually hawking insects aerially but also taking prey from the ground. Bees are common prey, as the name implies, but the blue-cheeked bee-eater also preys on wasps, hornets, dragonflies, beetles, cicadas, locusts and other insects. Once it has caught something it returns to its perch, where it kills and swallows its prey (unless its a bee or wasp - in this case it has to first rub it against a branch to disable its venom).
Breeding
It breeds in northern parts of Africa and subtropical Asia, from April to June. It is a gregarious bird that nests in colonies, and digs a long tunnel in sandy soil that leads to a nesting chamber where the spherical, white eggs are deposited. Between four and eight eggs are laid in a clutch and both parents take turns to care for their brood. In some areas, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters can be found nesting in mixed colonies, living relatively peacefully alongside the European bee-eater.
Description
A richly-coloured, slender bird. It is predominantly green; its face has blue sides with a black eye stripe, and a yellow and brown throat; the beak is black. It can reach a length of 31 cm, with the two elongated central tail feathers adding another 7 cm. Sexes are mostly alike but the tail-streamers of the female are shorter.
Distribution and habitat
Occurs across sub-Saharan Africa, largely excluding Sudan and northern DRC. In southern Africa it is locally common in northern Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), northern and south-eastern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa. It generally prefers savanna, open lake shores with reeds, wooded swamps and bushy grassland.
Movements and Migrations
Palearctic breeding migrant, arriving in southern Africa from October-November and leaving for its breeding grounds in Eurasia and North Africa in the period from March-May.
Food
Insectivorous, usually hawking insects aerially but also taking prey from the ground. Bees are common prey, as the name implies, but the blue-cheeked bee-eater also preys on wasps, hornets, dragonflies, beetles, cicadas, locusts and other insects. Once it has caught something it returns to its perch, where it kills and swallows its prey (unless its a bee or wasp - in this case it has to first rub it against a branch to disable its venom).
Breeding
It breeds in northern parts of Africa and subtropical Asia, from April to June. It is a gregarious bird that nests in colonies, and digs a long tunnel in sandy soil that leads to a nesting chamber where the spherical, white eggs are deposited. Between four and eight eggs are laid in a clutch and both parents take turns to care for their brood. In some areas, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters can be found nesting in mixed colonies, living relatively peacefully alongside the European bee-eater.
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nan
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Re: Bee-eaters - Bird of the Month: October 2012
oups miss this one 
European Bee-Eater/Guêpier d'Europe
European Bee-Eater/Guêpier d'Europe
Kgalagadi lover… for ever
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
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nan
- Posts: 26310
- Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 9:41 pm
- Country: Switzerland
- Location: Central Europe
- Contact:
Re: Bee-eaters - Bird of the Month: October 2012
Kgalagadi lover… for ever
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
-
Lisbeth
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
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European Bee-eaters in Spain
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge