Merops apiaster - European Bee-eater
Feather characters. Barbules are from short until medium length (0.46-1.25 mm). Barbules are divided into pigmented nodes and partly pigmented (less than 50%) internodes. Slightly thickened nodes (21-26 per mm) are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules, only slightly decreasing in size towards distal end. In some cases nodes may be too small to be qualified as nodes. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Minute prongs may be present along the entire length of barbules, on both sides of the pennulum. They form a crown-like structure around the nodes. These prongs are unequally distributed, and many nodal structures without prongs may be found.
Field characters. Size 28 cm. Weight 56.6 g (Dunning, 1993). Most colourful bird in Western Palearctic. Sexes hard to distinguish. Colour grades from very dark maroon on crown to golden- bronze on rump; tail turquoise, with two central feathers longer than others; underparts turquoise, becoming greener towards vent; lesser and median primary coverts grass-green, secondary coverts warm chestnut, scapulars bright golden, tertials green-blue, greater primary coverts deep turquoise, primaries dark sky-blue with deep gloss; entire wing with terminal black wing-bar; white forehead, pale blue supercilium, broad black eye-stripe (merging with dark maroon crown), sulphur-yellow throat. Female often has greenish wash on (some of) upperparts. Juvenile has less bright colours; back is green-blue, scapulars are greyish, wing-feathers much less brilliant than adult's; tail is pale blue and lacks 'streamers'. Flight characteristic, undulating, with rather variable speed.
Voice. Has a large vocabulary. Most common call is a fluent, lively "pruu pruu".
Distribution. Common summer visitor. Numbers depend on weather conditions: during warm summers, occurs at higher latitudes than usual. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Predominantly found in open areas with some trees, river banks, and steppes. Warm temperature is a prerequisite. Digs nesting burrows of up to three metres long in firm ground of vertical cliffs or banks.
Food. Mainly bees and wasps, as common and scientific names suggest; also other insects, caught in flight. Perches whilst spying for prey. If spotted, will take off abruptly in pursuit, capture prey and return to perch, but also hunts while constantly on the wing. Sting of bees and wasps is often removed by rubbing against perch before ingestion.