Birdwatching in Thailand: Bee-eater (Merops apiaster)

Bee-eaters (Meropidae) are a family of roller birds and has 26 species divided into three genera. Bee-eaters are especially beautifully colored, slender and graceful birds.

The birds almost all have elongated middle tail feathers, a slender, curved beak and pointed wings, making them resemble large swallows. However, they are not songbirds. Males and females are completely identical.

The Bee-eater is a very agile kite, which can also catch insects during flight. In the habitat of the bird, the presence of large prey insects such as locusts, dragonflies and also bees is an absolute prerequisite.

The breeding grounds of this bird are in Thailand, but also in southwestern Europe, in eastern and central Europe, in central and eastern Asia, Asia Minor and northwest Africa. Large numbers can be found in Portugal, Spain and Bulgaria.

They occur in open park-like scrub forests, meadows and fields with herb-rich borders, forest edges and other habitats such as sand pits. But almost always in the immediate vicinity of rivers or puddles with steep banks.