(
Merops apiaster, gyurgyalag)
Photo: Zoltan Vajda / Kiskunsag National Park
The bright, rainbow-colored European Bee-eaters breed in holes in sandpits, riverbanks and quarries. They nest in colonies, often with the Sand Martin or Bank Swallow (
Riparia riparia, partifecske).
They lay their eggs and raise their young in long tunnels made in the sand, sometimes measuring 6.5 feet (2 m) in length.
The Bee-eaters feed predominantly on insects, especially bees, wasps, hornets, butterflies, and dragonflies, which are caught in the air.
Migratory birds: they winter in Africa.
Strictly protected.
Source:
One Year in the Kiskunsag National Park 2008 Calendar (
Egy év a Kiskunsági Nemzeti Parkban 2008)
Links
BirdGuides: European Bee-eater
European Bee-eater - BirdLife Species Factsheet
