Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Sam Roi Yot, Thailand

The blue-tailed bee-eater is a migratory species widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia.

Habitat

 The natural habitat of blue-tailed bee-eater includes subtropical and tropical dry forests, subtropical and tropical moist lowlands, subtropical and tropical mangrove forests, freshwater lakes, rivers, streams and creeks. They have also adapted to arable land, pastures, plantations, parks and gardens, as long as there is water in close proximity.

Feeding

The diet of  blue-tailed bee-eaters  is mostly flying insects such as honeybees, dragonflies, wasps, hornets flies and beetles. They catch the flying insects mainly by hunting from a prominent perch. They beat the prey on the perch to break the exoskeleton and kill it.

Breeding

Blue-tailed bee-eaters breed in colonies usually in river valleys where they excavate tunnels up to 2 metres in length in sand banks preferably free of vegetation. Both males and females incubate 5 to 7 white, spherical eggs and also share chick rearing.

Wildfile Extra

• One or two helpers may join the parents to help with incubation and chick rearing.