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Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterSize: 28-32 cm (incl. tail streamers 4-8 cm); wing span 35-39 cm Weight: 38-50 g |
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Similar |
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Photos |
Race "persicus"
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ADULT |
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PAIR |
Near-frontal/near-lateral view of a pair of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Near-lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Lateral/ventral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Near-dorsal view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater landing on a power line
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Direct comparison of the relative sizes of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater,
above, and a
Green Bee-eater
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Close-up frontal view of a juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eater;
note the pale colours and the absence of streamers
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]
Close-up frontal view of a juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]
Close-up near-frontal view of a juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]
Lateral view of two juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters;
note the absence of streamers
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Near-dorsal view of both Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters; adult
on the left, juvenile on the right; note the absence of tails
streamers on the juvenile
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Dorsal view of an adult Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, right, with one
of its offspring, both looking sideways
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Lunchtime for the young Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on the right
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
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Behaviour |
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were usually seen in clans of about 10 birds, while their smaller cousins, the Green Bee-eaters, come in pairs or as singles.
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Food, Diet |
As their name already indicates (and like another member of the genus Merops, Blue-cheeked 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.
After catching an insect, Blue-cheeked 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 devouring it.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were also seen by us to hunt under water (photos below). Although they move around as a group, they hunt individually.
Lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater diving into a pond in a
swoop similar to a
Gannet's; undesired side-effect: the focus of this shot is on the
reflection on the water's surface
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater emerging from water after a short dive
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]