“There was a light drizzle around my area this afternoon. Bee-eaters frequent my place at this time of year and I found two of them very funnily ‘frozen’ on an aerial attenaa, with tail feathers and wings spread out. Was wondering if they were taking in the drizzle?” wrote Meibao on 10th February 2010.

Were the Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops philippinus) enjoying the drizzle? Most probably they were simply sunning themselves during the slight drizzle. These birds are fond of spreading their wings and tail feathers to expose them to the sun as a form of feather maintenance.

“This pair of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters (Merops philippinus philippinus) was hawking for insects from this branch. It was interesting to note the behaviour of the Blue-tailed Bee-eater on the right. As the partner/friend flew in with a catch, it began to “wag the tail” and get all fluffed up in anticipation. It then continued the ”wagging” and seemed to “beg” for a bite/to eat the prey. Only when it was sure that it was not going to be fed did it return to usual behaviour.

“Not sure if this is a juvenile who has recently become an adult or just a mate expecting a feed.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ex-mining pools around Gua Tempurung
Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia
29th December 2009

Note: Maybe the bird on the right is a female expecting to be fed in courtship? And maybe the priority of male was more to eat than to mate?

On 28th December 2009, Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS photographed a juvenile Blue-throated Bee-eater at the Kledang Sayong Forest Reserve (400m ASL) in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

“Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) are one of the few birds reported to breed in Peninsular Malaysia and migrate south (Sumatra/Indonesia) during the non-breeding season. A few overstay each year, often see them at the Kledang Hill and hill stations,” wrote Amar.

The adult Blue-throated Bee-eater has a distinctive dark rufous-chestnut cap and mantle, which is absent in the juvenile. As the juvenile turns into an adult, its deep green crown and mantle undergo post-juvenile moult. As more and more of the green feathers are shed and replaced with rufous-chestnut feathers, patches of rufous-chestnut appear before the entire crown and mantle turn rufous-chestnut (left).

“This is my second sighting of juveniles Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus philippinus) in the exact same location (less than 20 meters away). The last was 13th December 2008 when I saw a family of four - two were clearly adults, one juvenile and the last looked sub-adult (photographic evidence available).

“Today saw a family of five - two were clearly adults, two juveniles and the last looked sub-adult. Posted here two juveniles, the first (below left) less mature than the second (below right).

“Tha above-left shows a sub-adult juvenile while above-right an adult female. The entire composite shows the progression in maturity. Also the presumed adult male in the family (below).

“There is only one confirmed breeding site for Blue-tailed Bee-eater in Peninsula Malaysia which is on the island of Penang. The rest are winter visitors. In addition the breeding period has been clearly documented from February to May.

“Hence the sighting of juveniles today and on 13/12/2008 poses some issues. It is possible that there is a later breeding period up north (Thailand & beyond) and these juvenile flew down with parents. Another possibility is that there is another breeding site in Peninsula Malaysia, in the Ipoh-Tambun area, with a later (earlier?) breeding period. I suspect this is more likely.

“This area has limestone hills, with lots of ex-tin mining ponds and will provide ideal grounds for breeding.

“Will need to find the nesting site to confirm this.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Tambun Interior, Perak, Malaysia
15th November 2009

Wee Hiang Her’s study of the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (Merops leschenaulti) was documented in Penang, Malaysia in early October 2009.

The image above shows the male (assuming it is the male) offering the female a butterfly he had caught earlier. This is a common courtship feeding ritual among bee-eaters and some other birds. There is another bee-eater perching nearby but there is no attempt at stealing the food.

Once the food is handed over to the female, he proceeds to court her further, hoping to complete the intended copulation (above). However, she is not interested in copulation just yet, wanting to eat the gift first. Thus she manipulates the food to eventually swallow it with a single gulp (below).

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.