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Blue-throated Bee-eater – prey and calls

on 5th October 2021

I was watching a pair of adult Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) doing aerial sallies to catch insects; they usually return to the same perch with the prey. One of the birds suddenly took off for a location 30-35 meters away and caught a butterfly; I was impressed with the visual spotting capabilities. The partner gave chase hoping for a bite but it was not shared. Although they usually take bees and dragonflies, I have seen Bee-eaters take butterfly prey occasionally, especially when feeding young. The butterfly taken on this occasion is most likely the Yellow Archduke (Lexias canescens pardalina) (below).

I managed to document some calls – a call recording is located here: https://www.xeno-canto.org/583157. Calls are given both while perched and in the air. There is considerable variation in how calls are used and mixed.

The commonest call’s sonogram and waveform is shown below. It is a fast call given singly or in a run of 2-4 notes. Wells (1999) describes it as ‘terrip-terrip’.

The other call in the recording is much softer and extended (5-10 notes). Wells (1999) describes it as ‘trrurrip’. Sonogram and waveform is shown above. The two sonograms show that these two calls are very distinctly different. The first call is a contact call (above) while the second is more communicative, almost a ‘begging or pleading-like’ quality (below).

 

Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)

Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

 

Location: Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Habitat: Forest edge

Date: 17th August 2020

Equipment: Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone

 

 

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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