Our home is regularly visited by Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti leschenaultia) in the mornings and evenings. They come to feed on the Dwarf Honey Bee (Apis andreniformis) nesting in our wild urban garden. The Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters are very communal and … Continued
The above is a Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti leschenaultia) with a male Striped Albatross butterfly (Appias libythea). The above is another Chestnut-headed Bee-eater possibly with the Asian Honey Bee (Apis indica). Both were branch swiped before eating; butterfly eaten with … Continued
Recently a large Malayan Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) trespassed into an area in Punggol where a group of Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) were nesting. This triggered more than 10 bee-eaters mobbing the lizard. The attack was so fast and furious … Continued
Jeremiah Loei‘s video recorded the calls of the Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) when it was perching on a branch of a tree. The bee-eater was responding to another calling from some distance away (video below). According to Robson (2008), “Typical … Continued
Bee-eaters are so-named because they specialise in catching bees. In addition to bees, they also take carpenter bees, wasps, hornets… not to mention dragonflies, cicadas, beetles, ants, crickets, termites, butterflies, etc. Of these insects, bees, wasps and hornets are the … Continued
“Saw a pair of adult Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis viridis) in the city, one of which had beak damage (below). “The terminal point of both mandibles is broken off, especially the lower mandible. I have seen this occasionally in bee-eaters … Continued
Jack Lai’s images of the Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis) flying with an egg between its mandibles (above) is another BICA-moment (LINK). This bee-eater flew to a grassy plot, dropped the egg and started digging its nest (below). According to Jack, … Continued
“We typically watch Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) either in flight or perched upon branches, but the chance to observe one at ground level is rather rare (above). “At a secluded site in Singapore, the unusual sight of flying sand first … Continued
KC Chan’s image of a Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) in flight was photographed at Tuas South. Note that the bill is sharp-pointed and slightly decurved. It is not made for stabbing prey but rather to function like a forceps, picking … Continued
“Bee-eaters often wag their tails and many of us would have seen this common behaviour. Hilary Fry (The Bee-eaters, 1984) says that ‘all perched Bee-eaters wag their tails back and forth (originally for balance now ritualised I suspect’. Of some … Continued
