{"id":1411,"date":"2024-12-05T11:48:19","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T10:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/?p=1411"},"modified":"2024-11-25T11:49:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T10:49:27","slug":"european-bee-eater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/en\/birds\/european-bee-eater\/","title":{"rendered":"European Bee-eater: Habits, Diet, and Habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#what-does-the-european-bee-eater-look-like\">What does the European Bee-eater look like?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#behavior-and-flight-of-the-european-bee-eater\">Behavior and flight of the European Bee-eater<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#unique-songs-and-calls\">Unique songs and calls<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#reproductive-behavior-of-the-european-bee-eater\">Reproductive behavior of the European Bee-eater<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#diet-of-the-european-bee-eater\">Diet of the European Bee-eater<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#where-to-find-the-european-bee-eater\">Where to find the European Bee-eater<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-does-the-european-bee-eater-look-like\">What does the European Bee-eater look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The European Bee-eater is about the size of a blackbird and is easily recognized by its <strong>strikingly colorful plumage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAC5KtILIxc.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater with colorful plumage\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This bird features a <strong>brown cap<\/strong>, a <strong>yellow throat<\/strong>, a <strong>black collar<\/strong>, and a <strong>black eye stripe<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAEI3i0bndI.webp\" alt=\"Distinctive head markings of European Bee-eater\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The back's plumage transitions from <strong>rufous-brown<\/strong> to <strong>straw yellow<\/strong>, while the belly showcases <strong>blue-green to turquoise tones<\/strong>. Its tail is dark green with <strong>elongated central feathers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAEE6cEvn24.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater&#039;s tail feathers\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Juveniles display less rufous-brown coloration, replaced by a <strong>subtle pale green<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAEE6fpIR_Y.webp\" alt=\"Juvenile European Bee-eater plumage\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"behavior-and-flight-of-the-european-bee-eater\">Behavior and flight of the European Bee-eater<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This bird is often seen <strong>perched<\/strong> on branches or in flight hunting for insects. Its acrobatic flight is similar to a swallow\u2019s but with <strong>soaring movements<\/strong> and occasional rapid wing beats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAC5KnCrAcM.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater in flight\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At night, the European Bee-eater gathers in large trees, showcasing its <strong>sociable nature<\/strong> by living in colonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MADtFRd-cr8.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eaters roosting in a tree\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"unique-songs-and-calls\">Unique songs and calls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The European Bee-eater is known for its distinctive <strong>contact calls<\/strong>, soft yet energetic \"prrut\" sounds that can often be heard while it is in flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAD3yoM0O2o.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater emitting calls\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When disturbed near its nest, it emits a sharp \"vut,\" signaling potential threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"reproductive-behavior-of-the-european-bee-eater\">Reproductive behavior of the European Bee-eater<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Breeding begins in May and lasts until August. The bird lays 4 to 8 white eggs per year in a <strong>burrow<\/strong> dug into sandy riverbanks or cliffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MADrGp-rzT4.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater nesting burrow\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To court the female, the male offers her <strong>captured prey<\/strong>, showcasing his skills as a provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"diet-of-the-european-bee-eater\">Diet of the European Bee-eater<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As its name suggests, this bird feeds on <strong>wasps, bees, and hornets<\/strong>, alongside other insects like dragonflies and butterflies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MAEE6XL6hes.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater hunting insects\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It uses its <strong>curved beak<\/strong> to capture prey in flight, smashing it against a rock to remove stingers. Remarkably, it can withstand up to four stings due to partial immunity to venom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"where-to-find-the-european-bee-eater\">Where to find the European Bee-eater<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This bird thrives in <strong>sunny, open areas<\/strong> such as meadows and riverbanks. It migrates to Europe in April to breed and returns to Africa in autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/images\/66\/MADtaX15Ae0.webp\" alt=\"European Bee-eater migration path\" style=\"width:650px;height:auto\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What does the European Bee-eater look like? The European Bee-eater is about the size of a blackbird and is easily recognized by its strikingly colorful plumage. This bird features a brown cap, a yellow throat, a black collar, and a black eye stripe. The back's plumage transitions from rufous-brown to straw yellow, while the belly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birds","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1412,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411\/revisions\/1412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mnemolia.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}