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The average bird meal consisted of 90.8% honey bees and 9.2% beetles. [28] Predation is more likely when the bees are queening or during the peak of migration, from late March till mid-April, and in mid-September. Hives close to or under trees or overhead cables are at increased risk as the birds pounce on flying insects from these perches. [29]
This bird breeds in open country in warmer climates. As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets. They catch insects in flight, in sorties from an open perch. Before eating a bee, the European bee-eater removes the sting by repeatedly hitting the insect on a hard surface.
Submissions suspected by laypeople to be V. mandarinia also include other wasps of various sizes, bees, sawflies, horntails, wasp-mimicking flies, beetles, Jerusalem crickets, cicadas, and even a plastic children's toy that was wasp-like in appearance, all of which were routinely estimated to be 130-185% of their actual size. [31]
The crested honey buzzard is a specialist feeder, living mainly on the larvae of social bees and wasps, and eating bits of comb and honey. [14] [15] It takes other small insect prey such as cicadas. [16] It occasionally eats small birds, reptiles and frogs like other raptors. [5]
Biodiversity of the forest ecosystem is paramount for the birds' special diet, since wasps and bees often make their nests in hollows or amongst branches of mature trees found in old-growth forests. Deforestation and intensive agriculture practices severely hamper the red-throated caracara's population, likely accounting for its rare sightings ...
The binomen is derived from Ancient Greek pernes πέρνης, a term used by Aristotle for a bird of prey, and Latin apivorus "bee-eating", from apis, "bee" and -vorus, "-eating". [8] In fact, bees are much less important than wasps in the birds' diet.
The Wilkins’ Bunting birds, a rare species living on the Nightingale Island in the South Atlantic, won’t go extinct anytime soon — thanks to wasps.
This attractive bird is readily approached. Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and hornets, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch. The swallowtail has a preference for honeybees. [2]