Bee-Eater

Bee-Eater, common name for any member of a family of birds, whose diet consists almost entirely of bees and wasps. The many known species are widely distributed in the temperate and tropical parts of Eurasia. Birds in the family have long, slender bills and swallowlike wings and are noted for their brilliant plumage.

The common, or European, bee-eater has a crown and mantle of chestnut, shading below into primrose; the head is black and white, the throat yellow, and the rest of the plumage greenish blue. Its home extends from Portugal and North Africa through the Mediterranean area and southern Russia to westernmost China. It is migratory and winters in southern Africa, and also occasionally strays to northern Europe.

Like the kingfishers, the bee-eaters nest in holes that they dig in earthen banks. When a colony is ready to nest, they select a bank and each pair digs a nesting burrow. A round chamber is formed at the end of a passage about 1.8 to 2.4 m (about 6 to 8 ft) long, in which the white eggs are deposited on bare earth.

Scientific classification: Bee-eaters make up the family Meropidae in the order Coraciiformes. The common, or European, bee-eater is classified as Merops apiaster.

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