European Bee-Eater
Merops apiaster
47.5756, 26.2553
Field Notes
Description:
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly coloured, slender bird. It has brown and yellow upper parts, whilst the wings are green and the beak is black. It can reach a length of 27–29 cm (10.6–11.4 in), including the two elongated central tail feathers. Sexes are alike. Female tends to have greener rather than gold feathers on shoulders. Non-breeding plumage is much duller and with a blue-green back and no elongated central tail feathers. Juvenile resembles a non-breeding adult, but with less variation in the feather colours.
Habitat:
On our way to a protected site, we happened by an area where the road sides where raised and there were tall banks with clay exposed. We saw holes there which were probably the nests of the bee-eaters, since they lay eggs in tunnels.
Notes:
We saw a few adults flying around and this one stood for a while on top of a Rosa canina (Dog rose) shrub. Could not get too close, because he flew away.
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