European Bee-eater ( Merops apiaster, family: )
The European Bee-eater (Latin name Merops apiaster) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 438 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 194 also a picture of the European Bee-eater on page 192. The
European Bee-eater belongs to the family of birds classified as .
According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the
European Bee-eater is also known by these other names: Bee-eater,
Eurasian Bee-eater.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The European Bee-eater is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common summer visitor
In terms of distribution of the European Bee-eater in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. European Bee-eater : see above distribution map.
The European Bee-eater.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The European Bee-eater is a bird about the same size as a starling. The height of the European Bee-eater is about 29 cms and its weight is about 52 gms
The male and female European Bee-eater have the same plumage and colours
- Head is blue, chestnut.
- Eye is red.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is yellow.
- Back is blue.
- Legs are black.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The European Bee-eater feeds on wing mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The European Bee-eater is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Merops apiaster will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of European Bee-eater is to create the nest in a hole in the ground. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 2 to 6
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for European Bee-eater are: woodlands and grasslands
You will normally see the European Bee-eater in flocks.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Europese Byvreter
German ... Europischer Bienenfresser
Portuguese ... Abelharuco-europeu
French ... Gupier d'Europe
Dutch ... Bijeneter
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 438
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
