Green bee-eater Facts
Green bee-eater Facts
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| Interesting Green bee-eater Facts: |
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| Green bee-eater can reach 6.2 to 7 inches in height and 0.5 to 0.7 ounces of weight. |
| Green bee-eater has emerald-green plumage, black mask around eyes, necklace-like black line on a throat and two black stripes on the tail. Wings are green with a tinge of reddish-brown color. |
| Green bee-eater has very long, pointed bill, slender body and wings and long tail. |
| Green bee-eater is active during the day (diurnal bird). |
| Green bee-eater hunts and eats different types of flying insects such as honey bees, grasshoppers, fruit flies, ants and wasps. Name "bee-eater" refers to the favorite type of food of this species - bees. Fruit and berries are occasionally on the menu. |
| Green bee-eater knows how to "disarm" dangerous prey. It removes stinger and eliminates venom by hitting and rubbing a bee against the branch. |
| Green bee-eater is natural-born killer of bees. Even juvenile birds that have never encountered bees in their life know how to perform this procedure. |
| Green bee-eater roosts on the branches in the groups of 30 to 300 birds. It often baths in the sand to remove parasites and excess oil from the plumage. |
| Green bee-eaters communicate with each other via soft, trill calls and short alarm calls. |
| Mating season of green bee-eaters takes place from March to June. |
| Green bee-eaters nest in the colonies of 10 to 30 pairs of birds. |
| Green bee-eaters are monogamous birds (they mate for a lifetime) that nest on the flat ground or on the slightly sloped sandy banks. Pair of birds digs nesting tunnel that can reach more than 5 feet in length. Unlike any other species of bird, green bee-eater is able to predict behavior of humans and predators. When it detects unwanted visitor (usually some bird of prey) near the nesting hole, it avoids to enter the nest to prevent the predator to do the same thing. |
| Female lays 4 to 8 eggs that hatch after 2 weeks. Both male and female take part in the incubation of eggs. |
| Both parents provide food for their chicks. During the dry season, when food is scarce, they seek help from one or more birds from the group to help them find food and protect the nest. Chicks become ready to leave the nest at the age of 26 to 28 days. |
| Green bee-eater can survive 12 to 18 years in the wild. |
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