European bee-eater

Merops apiaster · The European bee-eater is a colourful, slender bird that breeds in southern and central Europe, northern and southern Africa, and western Asia.

European bee-eater
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0
European bee-eater
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0
European bee-eater
Photo: El Golli Mohamed, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderCoraciiformes
FamilyMeropidae
GenusMerops
SpeciesMerops apiaster

Where it lives

Breeds around the Mediterranean and in western Asia; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

Fun facts

  • A European bee-eater can eat around 250 bees in a single day.
  • Before swallowing a bee, the bird removes the sting by repeatedly whacking the insect against a hard surface.
  • During courtship, the male gives the female the large food items and keeps the small ones for himself.
  • These birds nest together in colonies, digging a long tunnel in a sandy bank where they lay five to eight round white eggs.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).