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Bee-eater nests may be raided by rats and snakes, [38] and the adults are hunted by birds of prey such as the Levant sparrowhawk. [39] The little bee-eater and red-throated bee-eaters are hosts of the greater honeyguide and the lesser honeyguide, both brood parasites. The young honeyguides kill the bee-eater's chicks and destroy any eggs.
The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) is a near passerine bird in the bee-eater family, Meropidae. It breeds in southern and central Europe , northern and southern Africa, and western Asia. Except for the resident southern African population, the species is strongly migratory , wintering in tropical Africa. [ 1 ]
The species measures 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length and weighs 17–38 grams (0.60–1.34 oz). [2] The sexes are alike. They have bright green heads, upper parts, and tails; their chins and throats are yellow and outlined in black, with a white extension to the side; their breasts are cinnamon-brown, darkening towards the belly.
In white-fronted bee-eaters, this helping behavior is particularly well developed, with helpers assisting in half of all nesting attempts. [3] These helpers may contribute to all aspects of the reproductive attempt, from digging the roosting or nesting chamber, to allofeeding the female, incubating and feeding the young; and have a large effect ...
The blue-throated bee-eater (Merops viridis) is a species of bird in the bee-eater family. They are found throughout southeast Asia in subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. Their diet consists mostly of bees , wasps , and dragonflies .
Both the male and the female take care of the eggs, although the female alone incubates them at night. Incubation takes 23–26 days. [3] The call sounds 'flatter' and less 'fluty' than the European bee-eater. Blue-cheeked bee-eater eggs Blue-cheeked bee-eater with dragon fly kill
Rainbow bee-eaters have also been known to share their nest tunnels with other bee-eaters and sometimes even other species of birds. The female lays between 3 and 7 rounded, translucent white eggs, measuring 24 by 18 mm (0.94 by 0.71 in), which are incubated for about 21 to 24 days until hatching. [ 7 ]
The adult black-headed bee-eater is between 25 and 28 cm (10 and 11 in) in length, excluding the 8 cm (3 in) tail streamers. The sexes are similar and it is a distinctive bird with a black head, green back, wings and tail, and buff breast and belly, with a rufous band across the lower breast. The juvenile has a black chin and throat.