The Blue Bearded Bee Eater, Male - a photo on Flickriver

            The Blue Bearded Bee Eater, Male
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@ Coonoor, Nilgiris Dist
Tamil Nadu, India
15 May 2022

Sony a7riv with Sony 600mm f4 Lens

The Blue Bearded Bee Eater is a large bee-eater which appears greenish overall and found in much of the Indian Subcontinent as well as parts of South East Asia. The bird is grass green with a turquoise forehead, face and chin; the long blue streak goes down the throat to the breast. The abdomen is yellowish to olive with streaks of green or blue; although the plumage of the peninsular Indian populations is said to be paler green than that of the North East Indian populations. It was named for the elongated feathers of the throat that give it a bearded appearance when they are fluffed out.

It is the largest species of the bee-eater family. Adults measure 30 to 37 cm in length. It has a large sickle shaped bill but the square ended tail lacks the "wires" that are typical of smaller bee-eaters. Males and females mostly alike; except the male's blue throat feathers are slightly longer and show higher ultraviolet reflectivity than those of the female. This bird has a loud call, but does not call frequently. It is also not as active as the smaller bee-eaters. The calls include cackling hornbill like calls, a dry "Kit-tik... Kit-tik" in a series or hollow nasal "kyao" calls.

They favour thin to fairly thick forest with clearings. The nest is a deep tunnel in a mud bank. They are usually seen alone or in small groups of up to three birds. Its flight is undulating, short, and rapid. Unlike other bee-eaters, it does not soar often, nor does it appear graceful in flight. It can be inconspicuous as it sticks to the mid-canopy of the wooded groves and forests it inhabits. As is suggested by their names, they mostly feed on bees. It exploits the defensive behaviour of Giant Honey Bee colonies by provoking the mass release of guard bees which are then caught in the air and eaten as they pursue the bird. 

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Taken in: India / Tamil Nadu / Wellington (show map)

Taken on: May 17, 2022

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