Meropidae – Bee-eaters

The Meropidae (Bee-eaters) are a small family (thirty-one species in three genera) of mostly, non-migratory near-passerine birds of the Old-World. They are Coraciiformes as are Brachypteraciidae (Ground Rollers), Coraciidae (Rollers), Momotidae (Motmots) and Alcedinidae (Kingfishers).

Most species are found in Africa and Asia, with a few in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers. All have long down-turned bills and medium to long wings, which may be pointed or round. Male and female plumages are usually similar.

As their name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by flights from an open perch. The stinger is removed by repeatedly hitting and rubbing the insect on a hard surface. During this process, pressure is applied to the insect thereby extracting most of the venom.

Most bee-eaters are gregarious. They form colonies, nesting in burrows tunnelled into vertical sandy banks, often at the side of a river, or in flat ground. As they mostly live in colonies, large numbers of nest holes may be seen together. The eggs are white, with typically five to the clutch. Most species are monogamous, and both parents care for the young, sometimes with assistance from related birds in the colony.

Red-throated Bee-eaters Merops bulocki

Bee-eaters may be killed by raptors, their nests are raided by rodents and snakes, and they can carry various parasites. Some species are adversely affected by human activity or habitat loss, but none meet the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s vulnerability criteria, and all are therefore evaluated as ‘least concern’.

Blue-moustached Bee-eater Merops mentalis

Bee-eaters are fairly indiscriminate in their choice of habitat. Their requirements are simply an elevated perch from which to watch for prey and a suitable ground substrate in which to dig their breeding burrow. Because their prey is entirely caught on the wing, they are not dependent on any vegetation type.

Böhm’s Bee-eaters Merops boehmi

A single species, the Blue-headed Bee-eater, is found inside closed rainforest where it forages close to the ground in poor light in the gaps between large trees. Six other species are also closely associated with rainforest, but occur in edge habitat such as along rivers, in tree-fall gaps, off trees overhanging ravines or on emergent tree crowns above the main canopy.

Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus

Their conspicuous appearance means that they have been mentioned by ancient writers and incorporated into mythology.