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HABITS
Like all bee eaters, rainbow bee eaters are very social birds.
When not breeding, they roost together at night in dense undergrowth or large trees. The
roosts are often so crowded that the birds touch each other as they perch.
The birds sometimes perch together with their backs to
the sun and the feathers on their upper backs raised. They fly down to the ground
occasionally to clean their feathers with dust, which also gets rid of parasites. Many of
the birds die during their summer migration.
Above: The bird digs its nest
burrow in bare, hot ground, in a pile of gravel, or in the side of a low bank.
Above: Rainbow bee eaters rest in a
nest chamber.
BEE EATER & MAN
Beekeepers have traditionally feared the arrival of
bee eaters, which eat the culti- vated bees. Hives are especially vulnerable to attack
when the weather is cool, since there are not as many insects flying about for hungry bee
eaters to prey on.
But the damage bee eaters do to hives is generally
out-weighed by their control of harmful insects such as locusts, as well as the wasps and
hornets that are themselves honeybee predators. |
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The rainbow bee eater is a
brilliantly colored bird that, as its name suggests, feeds mainly on bees. It removes the
bees'stingers before eating the insects.
BREEDING
Soon after the birds reach their breeding grounds, they pair--
possibly for life. The birds raise their crown feathers and lower and vibrate their tail
feathers. The males bring the females insects. The birds then mate and dig their nest
burrows. After the female lays her eggs, both she and the hatchlings are vulnerable to
predators such as large Australian monitor lizards called goonnos, wild dogs, and
foxes.
Once the young fledge (grow feathers), they are reared by
both parents, as well as by other young bee eaters. Until the young birds are fully grown,
they help raise their parents' or another pair's next brood. Other birds that are
non-breeders or have lost a mate also help to raise other pairs' broods.
The bee eater knocks its prey
against the perch to subdue it. With lightning speed, the bird then alters its grip to
grasp the insect by the tip of its abdomen. Closing its eyes to avoid being squirted with
poison, the bee eater then rubs the insect's stinger against the perch to remove it before
eating the prey. |
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FOOD & FEEDING
The rainbow bee eater perches on power lines or branches of dead
trees to search for food. It is always alert for flying insects and can spot a bee from
150 feet away. The bird immediately flies after it and almost always catches its prey.
Once the bee eater catches a bee it usually removes the
stinger even though the bird is immune to bee and wasp stings, which kill other small
birds. Bee eaters eat several hundred bees and wasps a day.
They cough up the indigestible portions in the form
of pellets. When a flock of bee eaters spots a large swarm of small termites, it attacks
the swarm and eats as many insects as possible in a short time.
KEY FACTS
Length: 7-8 in. Central tail
feathers extend 3/4 in. beyond male's body, 3 in. beyond female's.
Wingspan: Approximately 10 in.
Sexual maturity: 1 year.
Mating: Before and after rainy season in northern
part of range; November to January in south.
Eggs: 3-7, usually 4-5. Glossy white.
Habit: Very social. Pair for life.
Diet: Mainly bees and wasps. Also inchneumon
flies, dragonflies, damselflies, moths, butterflies, and grasshoppers.
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Did You Know?
The rainbow bee eater is also known as the rainbow-bird, pintailed
bee eater, spinetail, berrin-berrin, gold-digger, and gold-miner. Sometimes it is
called a kingfisher, but the two species are not related.
When adult rainbow bee eaters enter or exit their nest burrows,
their bodies fit so tightly into the narrow tunnel that they act like a piston, pumping in
fresh air and pumping out stale air.
A nest burrow found in southern Australia contained two adult and
four nestling rainbow bee eaters, along with 18 young white backed swallows all roosting
together. |
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