Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Predominantly green plumage with blue cheeks, a yellow and brown throat patch, a black eye stripe, and elongated central tail streamers. Sexes are similar, though juveniles are duller with less distinct tail streamers.

Green body, blue cheeks, yellow throat transitioning to brownish-orange, black eye mask, slender black downcurved bill, and long central tail feathers.

Length: 24-30 cm including tail streamers; Wingspan: 46-49 cm; Weight: 30-57 g

A liquid, rolling trill or series of rolling 'prree-prree' notes, often given in flight.

Insects, predominantly flying insects like bees, wasps, hornets, and dragonflies, caught on the wing.

Open country, semi-deserts, agricultural lands, river valleys, and savannahs, usually near open water sources.

Strongly migratory, traveling in flocks between breeding grounds in Eurasia/North Africa and wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nests colonially in burrows excavated in sandy banks or flat sandy ground. Lays a clutch of 4 to 8 white eggs, incubated by both parents.

European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), which features more vibrant yellow and chestnut upperparts and lacks the distinct extensive blue cheeks of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.

Acts as an important natural controller of insect populations, particularly agricultural pests such as dragonflies, bees, and wasps.

Least Concern, with a stable global population trend.

Look for them perched prominently on bare branches, wires, or fence posts near water or open country, making frequent aerial sallies to catch insects.

Bee-eaters remove the sting from venomous insects before eating them by repeatedly rubbing the insect against a hard surface.