European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

The Bee-eater has a characteristic morphology adapted to aerial hunting, with a stylised and aerodynamic body with pointed wings, a forked tail and a robust curved beak, ideal for capturing insects in flight. Its colouring is very striking, with reddish, yellow and greenish dorsal parts, and greenish and bluish lower areas. Its legs are short and black and its eyes are large and reddish in colour, with a black mask.

Bee-eaters use a particular technique to handle bees before eating them: they hit them several times against a branch or a hard surface to remove the sting and thereby avoid being stung.