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Rainbow Bee-eaterAlternate name(s): "Rainbow-bird", "Spinetail", "Pintail"; misnomer: "Kingfisher"  Aboriginal name(s): "birrubirruu" [yuwaalaraay];
"dirrandirran" [ngadjon];
"birinbirin", "beringo" (WA)Size: 23-27 cm Weight: 20-33 g |
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Similar |
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Description
Classification
Distribution
Sightings
Photos
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
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 Click here for a physical description
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
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Click here for sighting information
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Photos |
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here 
.
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Frontal view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater on a power line;
note the long streamers
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]
Frontal view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater looking sideways
(photo courtesy of
V. Collins)
[Pilliga scrub,
NSW, December 2020]
Near-frontal view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Sandy Camp Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, March 2018]
Near-lateral view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, November 2012]
Lateral view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Town of 1770, QLD, September 2017]
Lateral view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater in mellow light
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater shaking out its
plumage after
preening
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]
Dorsal view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barkley Highway, 50 km NW of Mount Isa, QLD, June 2021]
Dorsal view of a preening male Rainbow Bee-eater
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2006]
Dorsal view of a male Rainbow Bee-eater in rainy weather
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Atherton Tablelands, QLD, May 2022]
3 species of insect-eating migratory birds:
Sacred Kingfisher, left,
Dollarbird, centre,
Rainbow Bee-eater, right
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2018]
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FEMALE |
Frontal view of a female Rainbow Bee-eater; note the shorter
streamers
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, October 2006]
Frontal view of a female Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]
Close-up near-lateral view of a female Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]
Lateral view of a female Rainbow Bee-eater; we show this photo to
demonstrate the apparent absence (invisibility) of the bird's short
tail streamers, which are clearly seen in another photo taken only
seconds earlier in a very similar stance
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, October 2022]
"Jumping Jack Flash" - lateral view of a female Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Stanage Bay, QLD, July 2021]
Dorsal view of a female Rainbow Bee-eater
[Capertee NP,
NSW, December 2015]
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PAIR |
Near-frontal/ventral view of a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters;
male on the left (with long streamers), female on the right
(photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, October 2011]
Pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters, male on the right
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2019]
Lateral view of a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, June 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters, male on the right
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a pair of Rainbow Bee-eaters, male on the right
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2020]
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Rainbow Bee-eater diving from its perch
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Atherton Tablelands, QLD, May 2022]
Lateral view of a Rainbow Bee-eater banking before landing
(photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, October 2011]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater; note the
pale colours and the absence of tail streamers
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, February 2022]
Near-frontal view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater; note the
pale colours
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]
Near-frontal view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater turning the fly
it has just caught
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Near Ensay North, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2019]
Near-lateral view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]
Close-up near-lateral view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, March 2023]
Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, March 2023]
Lateral view of a juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]
Lateral view of a young Rainbow Bee-eater
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, August 2014]
Two juvenile Rainbow Bee-eaters learning to catch their own food
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, December 2017]
Two juvenile Rainbow Bee-eaters learning to catch their own food;
here one can be seen flying off, showing the gap at the centre of
the tail where later the streamers will grow
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, December 2017]
Juvenile Rainbow Bee-eaters launching themselves into the air
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Cassilis, Gippsland, VIC, March 2019]
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Breeding information |
| Breeding season: Sep - Feb | Eggs: 4 - 5 | Incubation period: 24 - 25 days | Fledging age: 28 - 35 days |
| Nest building: Female & male | Incubation: Female & male | Dependent care: Female & male |
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
| Type: Tunnel | Material: Soft, loamy soil | Height above ground: N/A |
Rainbow Bee-eaters do not line their nests.
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Additional information |
There is a separate page on Rainbow Bee-eaters building a nest.
Entrance to a Rainbow Bee-eater nest tunnel; note the scrape marks
of the two feet resembling wheel ruts
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
Looking deeper into a Rainbow Bee-eater nest tunnel, one can see that
its cross section is roughly triangular
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
If one is lucky - and the tunnel does not have too much of a bend -
one can see a Rainbow Bee-eater sitting on its nest
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
Rainbow Bee-eater leaving its nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, October 2020]
Rainbow Bee-eaters enter their nest tunnel head first
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
The same Rainbow Bee-eater as shown above; it is leaving its nest tunnel
head first, so it must have turned around inside the nest chamber
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2014]
Rainbow Bee-eater in the opening of its nest tunnel
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]
Rainbow Bee-eater leaving its nest tunnel
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]
This Rainbow Bee-eater left its tunnel tail first, indicating that there
was no room to turn around in the nest chamber, possibly because the
partner was incubating eggs; the bird was observed backing out like this
repeatedly
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
Male Rainbow Bee-eater excavating a nest tunnel; note the flying dirt
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2016]
How does one know whether a Rainbow Bee-eater's nest tunnel
is new? Usually by the heap of dirt that accumulates under
the entrance.
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2020]
Entrance to a Rainbow Bee-eater's nest in almost flat ground in a
paddock
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2008]
Rainbow Bee-eater on a perch near the opening to its nest tunnel; this
bird's call
was recorded on 2 October 2014
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2014]
Rainbow Bee-eater on a perch near the opening to its nest tunnel
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2014]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
| Size: 24 x 18 mm | Colour: White | Shape: Rounded |
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Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Migratory | Elementary unit: Pair/flock |
Outside their breeding season, Rainbow Bee-eaters form flocks. They have been seen by us flying very high during their migration, in groups of tens or more, calling each other in flight. If not for these calls, we would not have noticed them; they were barely visible to the unaided eye.
Rainbow Bee-eaters usually congregate in flocks for their annual
migration, but this flock of about 40 birds (only part of which
are shown here) was seen in the middle of summer, possibly consisting
of non-breeders
[Old Quipolly Dam, Quirindi, NSW, December 2013]
Like other Bee-eaters elsewhere, Rainbow Bee-eaters also hunt in shallow waters, such as e.g. farm dams, see photo below.
Rainbow Bee-eater making a splash (photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
Pairs of Rainbow Bee-eaters like close proximity - the male is on the
right (long streamers),
the female on the left; from this position they look for prey and then
dive onto insects, which they bring back to their perch before whacking
them to death (and probably detaching the prey's wings in the process)
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Food, Diet |
As their name already indicates (and like all other members of the Merops family seen by us in Oman), Rainbow Bee-eaters feed on bees, but also other insects such as e.g. dragonflies. They catch their prey in flight, then take it to their perch where it is killed with a head flick smashing it against the branch.
Male Rainbow Bee-eater with its prey
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, December 2005]
Male Rainbow Bee-eater with its prey, a honey bee
(photo courtesy of
V. Collins)
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]
This female Rainbow Bee-eater has caught a dragonfly, which it first
beat to death and then devoured whole
[Near Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]
Juvenile Rainbow Bee-eater with the bee it has just caught
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[The Spit, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2020]
This male Rainbow Bee-eater has caught a butterfly
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2014]
This Rainbow Bee-eater has caught a "monster-size bee" - a cicada
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Darwin, NT, November 2017]
Female Rainbow Bee-eater with a big load of food
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Darwin, NT, July 2018]
After catching an insect, Rainbow Bee-eaters will sit on a perch, turn their head to a side and then flip around in a sideways downward movement, smashing the insect against the branch that they are sitting on to kill it before eating it.
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement 
are welcome.
| rainbee_20150909.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Contact calls | © MD | |
| rainbee_20200906.m4a | (NW NSW) | Contact calls? | © MD | |
| rainbee_20210121_3.m4a | (NW NSW) | Contact calls? (in-flight) | © MD | |
| rainbee_20170901.m4a | (NW NSW) | Hunting | © MD | |
| rainbee_20180902.m4a | (NW NSW) | Hunting calls? | © MD | |
| rainbee_20181001.m4a | (NW NSW) | Hunting calls? (in-flight) | © MD | |
| rainbee_20140110_2.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Juveniles begging? | © MD | |
| rainbee_20140110_3.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Juveniles begging? | © MD | |
| rainbee_20210121_2.m4a | (NW NSW) | Various (family with juveniles) | © MD | |
| rainbee_20210121.m4a | (NW NSW) | Various (family with juveniles) | © MD | |
| rainbee_20230318.mp3 | (NW NSW) | Various (family with juveniles) | © MD |
More Rainbow Bee-eater sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.