RAINBOW BEE-EATER
Merops ornatus
DESCRIPTION
The Rainbow Bee-eater is one of Australia’s most colourful birds. It has brilliant green plumage, blue on the throat and tail, golden-yellow around the head and a distinctive black stripe through the eye. Its long, slender bill is perfectly suited to catching insects.
WHERE IT LIVES
Rainbow Bee-eaters are found across much of Australia, particularly in the warmer north. They live in open woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and areas near rivers and billabongs. They are often seen perched on exposed branches where they have a clear view of flying insects.
WHAT IT EATS
Rainbow Bee-eaters catch flying insects including bees, wasps, dragonflies, beetles and other insects. They usually watch from a perch, fly out to catch their prey in mid-air, then return to a branch to eat it.
QUICK FACTS
Rainbow Bee-eaters are incredibly agile flyers.
• They can catch insects while flying through the air.
• Before eating a bee or wasp, they may rub it against a perch to remove or discharge the sting.
• They nest underground, digging long tunnels into sandy banks or flat ground.
• A nesting tunnel can extend more than a metre underground.
• Many southern populations migrate north for the Australian winter.
• Their long central tail feathers become especially noticeable on adult birds.
PETE'S PHOTO STORY
Rainbow Bee-eaters are one of my favourite birds to photograph. They often return to the same perch after chasing insects, so I can watch their behaviour and wait for the right moment. This bird returned with an insect in its bill and gave me just enough time to capture the photograph. The colours are spectacular, but it is the bird’s behaviour that makes photographing them so interesting.