Blue-throated Bee-eaters (Merops viridis) catch dragonflies on the wing (above), with the latter twisting and turning in the air when chased and the former trying very hard to manoeuvre likewise. The chase sometimes looks like a dogfight between two warring fighter planes – one large and the other small. Frequently the dragonfly escapes. After all, dragonflies usually also hunt on the wing and have the skills to do so.

The dragonfly is usually caught at the thorax, where the insect is thickest (below left, right). It is then brought back to the perch where it is subdued and eaten, a habit very similar to that of the prey. The bird usually tosses the dragonfly in the air to position it for swallowing head first (below middle).

Dragonflies are reasonably large insects with prominent wings that give an audible clatter when flying. They have a large head and two equally large compound eyes. They thus make excellent subjects for photographers, especially when they are captured and manipulated by the long pointed bill of bee-eaters.

Photo credits: Lee Tiah Khee (top); Dr Jonathan Cheah Weng Kwong (bottom left), James Wong (bottom middle); Joseph Yao (bottom right).

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

On 11th August 2008, Meibao photographed another “mass dip” of bee-eaters at the Symphony Lake at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (above left). The earlier post was in February 2008 where a small group took an afternoon dip in that we thought we thought they may be catching mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis).

This time it was at 1650 hours, another hot afternoon and the birds were seen drying themselves after the dip (above right). As Meibao wrote, “They do not have the long tail of a Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) that I usually see at the Bukit Timah core…

“And similar to the interesting post about the red-bearded bee eater (1, 2), it seems like this bee eater has various different colours on its feathers, despite it looking like a single colour when their feathers are not ruffled (left).”

The birds here were most probably taking a bath, as they returned to the perch to dry and preen. Although it is not common, bee-eaters do bathe from time to time. Fry (2001) mentions that “bathing is performed by gliding down to the surface of a large expanse of water and taking a shallow, dive in, head first, interrupting their flight only for a second.”

Our bird specialist R Subaraj has this to say: “This is a Blue-throated Bee-eater (Merops viridis). It is still immature as the cap is not chestnut, and that would explain the lack of tail streamers.

“However, even adults can lack the tail streamers outside the breeding season.

“The breeding period here is mainly between March-July. Between July-September, many an immature may be seen around Singapore. By mid-September, all the resident Blue-throated Bee-eaters of Singapore are gone…. down to Sumatra for the non-breeding season. We may still get the odd bird after that but it would probably be from Malaysia, embarking on the same journey south.

“The only Blue-throated populations in Malaysia/Singapore that do not move south are apparently those in Malaysian forests and mountains.

“Why do they travel south? Nobody knows for sure but it may have something to do with the migrant Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) that arrives in large numbers at the end of September and winters in non-forested habitats until the end of March. There is usually a 2-week window between the return of the Blue-throated Bee-eaters in early March and the final departure of the remaining Blue-tails at the end of that month.

“For decades, the Blue-throated movement to Sumatra was what was believed but final proof was lacking. Then, some years ago, a Blue-throated Bee-eater, that was banded at a breeding ground in Selangor, was netted in Sumatra!”

Reference:
Fry, C.H. (2001). Family Meropidae (Bee-eaters). Pp. 286-341 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. (2001). Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 6. Mousebirds to Hornbills. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.

This was exactly what Liu Jianzhong a.k.a. Jz was thinking when he stalked a Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) some weeks back - and documented what it did.

The bee-eater had just had its fill of insects and glided with its wings flapping in slow motion to its favourite perch (above). There, it perched with its wings still held high for some time. Such characteristic “butterfly” display is not unusual among bee-eaters.

Such a display sometimes end with copulation, if there is another bird of the opposite sex present. But in this instance it simply proceeded with its comfort routine.

First, it preened its feathers (above left). Then it fluffed its plumage (above right). All these activities are necessary to keep the feathers in top condition. Then the bird indulged in stretching activities to keep the muscles in top condition and stimulate blood circulation, or so ornithologists believe.

It first stretched both its wings upwards, in a sort of “angel” posture (above). Then it stretched its right wing and right leg together, at the same time fanning its tail feathers (below left). This was followed by the left wing and left leg and similarly fanned its tail feathers (below right).

Finally, it cast a pellet of undigested insect exco-skeleton, etc. (below).

See earlier posts on pellet casting HERE: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

All images by Liu Jianzhong.

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

“On 28/6/08 morning while I was taking pictures around the vacant land somewhere along the Kadaloor LRT Station in Punggol, I came across a dugout on the sandy ground,” wrote Hourman (left).

“As I approached I saw two juvenile birds near the entrance of the hole (left bottom). The moment they noticed my presence, they started backtracking into it. The hole wasn’t that deep because they could still be seen when they finally stopped, and the two crammed together (below).

“The dugout was too big to be dug by the adult. I believed it’s more like the work of feral dogs I saw around. The juveniles didn’t look like some water birds, so I find it strange that they nested on sandy ground. It will be great if BESG can ID the juveniles.”

The image was sent to our bird specialist, R. Subaraj who wrote: “Could they be juvenile Blue-throated Bee-eaters? The only colourful species, off the top of my head, that nests in holes on sandy ground or slopes is this bee-eater.”

All bee-eaters are earth-hole nesters, excavating their own tunnels that end with an egg chamber at the end. Rarely do they use a ready-made rodent’s burrow

Reference:
Fry, C.H. (2001). Family Meropidae (Bee-eaters). Pp. 286-341 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. (2001). Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 6. Mousebirds to Hornbills. Barcelona: Lynx Editions.

Bee-eaters hunt from an exposed perch, waiting for insects to fly by. Once an insect is spotted, it flies after it and simply picks it out of the air. The pair of slender and sharp pointed mandibles that make up the bill function like a pair of highly efficient forceps.

The images above show the Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) manipulating a dragonfly after catching and thrashing it. Clamped at the tip of its bill (left), the bird deftly tossed the subdued insect to reposition it for swallowing (right).

In the case of the Blue-throated Bee-eater (M. viridis) that has caught what looks like a wasp and a moth, the prey is similarly treated (above).

When a venomous bee is caught, as in the case of the Rainbow Bee-eater (M. ornatus) of Australia, the prey needs to be rubbed against the perch to remove the sting and the venom (above).

The images above show the Rainbow Bee-eater with a beetle (left) and a cicada (right) in its bill. Again, these insects need to be subdued before swallowing.

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

All images by Dr Eric Tan.