Common name: European Bee-eater

Scientific name: Merops apiaster

Family: Meropidae

Size: Body length: 27–29 cm, including elongated central tail feathers

Wingspan: 44–49 cm

Weight: approximately 44–78 g

Identification:

A brightly coloured, slender bird with a chestnut-brown crown and upperparts, golden-yellow throat, black throat band and turquoise-blue underparts. It has a long, slightly curved black bill, a dark eye-stripe and pointed wings. Adults have elongated central tail feathers, while juveniles are generally greener and duller, with shorter tail feathers.

Habitat:

Found in open countryside, agricultural fields, farms, grasslands, desert edges and areas with scattered trees. During migration in the UAE, it frequently visits irrigated farms, plantations, wadis and other habitats with abundant flying insects.

Status in the UAE:

A common passage migrant, particularly during spring and autumn migration. It is most frequently recorded between March and May and again from August to October. Birds may gather in sizeable flocks while feeding or resting during migration.

Diet:

Feeds almost exclusively on flying insects, particularly bees, wasps, hornets, dragonflies, butterflies and beetles. It catches prey in flight and often returns to a perch to remove the sting from bees and wasps before swallowing them.

Behavior:

A highly social and vocal bird, often travelling and feeding in flocks. It hunts by launching from exposed perches or catching insects during sustained aerial flights. Its distinctive rolling calls are frequently heard before the birds are seen. In its breeding range, it nests in tunnels excavated into sandy banks and earthen cliffs.

Conservation Status: Global: Least Concern (LC)

UAE National Red List: Critically Endangered (CR), criteria A2a; D. This national classification differs from its global Least Concern status.