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Blue-cheeked Bee-eaterSize: 28-32 cm (incl. tail streamers 4-8 cm); wing span 35-39 cm |
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Similar species |
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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 |
Race "persicus"
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ADULT |
Frontal view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Close-up lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Close-up lateral view of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater,
slightly different posture
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
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 (below)
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eater; note the absence
of streamers
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Dorsal view of an adult Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, right, with one
of its offspring; note the absence of tails streamers
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]
Different dorsal view of both Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters; adult
on the left, juvenile on the right
[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 Merops genus, 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.
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]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater emerging from water after a short dive
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
