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BEE-EATERS
Another group of highly attractive birds, the bee-eaters are bedecked with bright colours and have fairly long, sharply pointed bills. As their name suggests, they feed on bees but also devour a wide range of other insects. Perched on branches and logs, these gaily coloured birds will dart up and intercept any insect flying into view, gracefully gliding back to their perch to resume their vigil. Of the five species found in the Park, three are summer migrants.
The Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) and White-fronted Bee- eater (M. bullockoides) are widely distributed and common, nesting in burrows tunneled into the side of earth banks such as those which have collapsed on the edges of rivers. As they live in colonies, large numbers of these holes are often seen together, white streaks from their accumulated droppings accentuating the entrances to the nests.
Of the three migratory species, the Carmine Bee-eater (M. nubi. coides) is the most common, although the European Bee-eater (M. apiaster) also becomes abundant during mid-summer. Both these species are extremely beautiful and a great pleasure to watch.
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