European bee-eater

Unrecognizable! Blue body, yellow chin and crimson back. Flies slowly and with agile movements. Juveniles have a greenish tinge to the body.

It comes to our area every spring, somewhat later than other migratory birds. It spreads mainly in Southern and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The entire population winters in two zones, one in West Africa and one in the south, and there are resident populations in the southern tip of Africa.

Hundreds of Bee-eaters pass through our island, especially during the autumn migration, but we will hear more of them passing overhead and see less of them.

They breed on slopes in river and road beds or natural slopes and often on the ground, inside tunnels dug for this purpose in areas of open vegetation with only scattered trees.

• It feeds on a wide variety of medium-sized and large flying insects (0.5-5 cm), mainly large wild bees and wasps, but also other insects if they are abundant in their area, such as dragonflies, cicadas, grasshoppers and tame bees.
• It attacks flying insects by waiting for them to pass close by from high places such as poles and cables, tops of bushes and trees, fences, etc. and to these it returns with its prey. It then decapitates the large insects and scrubs and removes the sting from wasps and bees before consuming them.
• Breeds in May to June often in small or larger colonies.
• It lays 4-10 eggs that are incubated jointly by both parents (often with the help of other birds in the colony) and after 21-26 days the chicks (usually 4-6) are successfully developed enough to be able to leave the nest.
• Although not listed as an endangered species, recent studies report that they are negatively affected by the use of insecticides in agriculture, both in Europe and Africa.